US20210190183A1 - Variable pitch device - Google Patents
Variable pitch device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20210190183A1 US20210190183A1 US17/125,170 US202017125170A US2021190183A1 US 20210190183 A1 US20210190183 A1 US 20210190183A1 US 202017125170 A US202017125170 A US 202017125170A US 2021190183 A1 US2021190183 A1 US 2021190183A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- movable fingers
- variable pitch
- pitch device
- longitudinal direction
- drive unit
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H25/00—Gearings comprising primarily only cams, cam-followers and screw-and-nut mechanisms
- F16H25/18—Gearings comprising primarily only cams, cam-followers and screw-and-nut mechanisms for conveying or interconverting oscillating or reciprocating motions
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/22—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors
- B65G47/26—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual articles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/74—Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types
- B65G47/90—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
- B65G47/907—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials with at least two picking-up heads
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23Q—DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING; MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT
- B23Q1/00—Members which are comprised in the general build-up of a form of machine, particularly relatively large fixed members
- B23Q1/25—Movable or adjustable work or tool supports
- B23Q1/44—Movable or adjustable work or tool supports using particular mechanisms
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J15/00—Gripping heads and other end effectors
- B25J15/06—Gripping heads and other end effectors with vacuum or magnetic holding means
- B25J15/0616—Gripping heads and other end effectors with vacuum or magnetic holding means with vacuum
- B25J15/0691—Suction pad made out of porous material, e.g. sponge or foam
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/74—Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types
- B65G47/94—Devices for flexing or tilting travelling structures; Throw-off carriages
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H25/00—Gearings comprising primarily only cams, cam-followers and screw-and-nut mechanisms
- F16H25/18—Gearings comprising primarily only cams, cam-followers and screw-and-nut mechanisms for conveying or interconverting oscillating or reciprocating motions
- F16H25/183—Gearings comprising primarily only cams, cam-followers and screw-and-nut mechanisms for conveying or interconverting oscillating or reciprocating motions conveying only reciprocating motion, e.g. wedges
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02K—DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
- H02K7/00—Arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with dynamo-electric machines, e.g. structural association with mechanical driving motors or auxiliary dynamo-electric machines
- H02K7/06—Means for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion or vice versa
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02K—DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
- H02K7/00—Arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with dynamo-electric machines, e.g. structural association with mechanical driving motors or auxiliary dynamo-electric machines
- H02K7/10—Structural association with clutches, brakes, gears, pulleys or mechanical starters
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G35/00—Mechanical conveyors not otherwise provided for
- B65G35/06—Mechanical conveyors not otherwise provided for comprising a load-carrier moving along a path, e.g. a closed path, and adapted to be engaged by any one of a series of traction elements spaced along the path
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/74—Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types
- B65G47/90—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
- B65G47/91—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials incorporating pneumatic, e.g. suction, grippers
- B65G47/918—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials incorporating pneumatic, e.g. suction, grippers with at least two picking-up heads
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/70—Wind energy
- Y02E10/72—Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a variable pitch device for, in a process of transporting a plurality of workpieces, changing an interval separation between workpieces arranged in parallel from an interval separation at a supply source to an interval separation corresponding to a supply destination and then supplying the workpieces to the supply destination.
- a workpiece which is placed on a table, is gripped by a transport device provided with a suction pad at a distal end thereof, and the workpiece is transported to a predetermined position.
- a variable pitch device which is capable of simultaneously grasping a plurality of workpieces which are arranged in parallel on a table, adjusting the plurality of workpieces to a predetermined interval spacing in accordance with an arrangement condition of a supply destination, and supplying the workpieces to the supply destination.
- a motor is attached to a rear surface of a base plate, and a plate cam which is formed in a disk-like shape, two levers, and a slide shaft are provided on a front surface of the base plate.
- a cam groove is formed in the plate cam, and the plate cam is disposed to be capable of rotating under a driving action of the motor via a rotating shaft provided in the center of the cam groove.
- the cam groove is formed in an annular shape centered about the rotating shaft.
- the two levers are disposed so as to be capable of swinging about fulcrums supported on the base plate in the vicinity of upper and lower sides of the plate cam, follower rollers which are inserted into the cam groove of the plate cam are provided on the front surface thereof, and a plurality of roller pins are disposed on the rear surface thereof.
- the slide shaft extends along a widthwise direction of the base plate, and eight slide blocks are movably retained thereby.
- the slide blocks are capable of sliding substantially in parallel with each other, and grooves are formed on the rear surface thereof. Respective roller pins provided on the levers are rotatably engaged with the grooves.
- the plate cam is rotated under a driving action of the motor, and by the levers being made to swing about the fulcrums by the respective follower rollers which are coupled to the cam groove, the slide blocks which are connected via the roller pins move in parallel along the slide shaft. Since movement of the slide blocks is symmetrical in the longitudinal direction of the slide shaft, the respective slide blocks undergo movement while always keeping the interval spacing therebetween constant.
- variable pitch device a configuration is provided in which the slide blocks are made to slide by transmitting a rotational driving force of the motor to the plate cam, causing the plate cam to undergo rotation, and causing the levers to swing. Therefore, the configuration for transmitting the rotational driving force from the motor to the slide blocks is complex, and there is a concern of bringing about an increase in the size of the variable pitch device, as well as leading to a steep rise in manufacturing costs.
- a general object of the present invention is to provide a variable pitch device, which with a simple configuration, is capable of reducing manufacturing costs and decreasing the size of the variable pitch device.
- An aspect of the present invention is characterized by a variable pitch device comprising a body, a drive unit connected to the body, a plurality of movable fingers disposed movably along a longitudinal direction of the body, and a driving force transmission mechanism configured to transmit a driving force of the drive unit to the movable fingers, the variable pitch device moving the plurality of movable fingers in a manner so that an interval separation between the movable fingers becomes even along the longitudinal direction under a driving action of the drive unit, wherein the driving force transmission mechanism includes a cam plate provided on the body, and configured to be movable in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the movable fingers, and a plurality of cam grooves, which are inclined with respect to the direction of movement, are formed in the cam plate, and portions of the movable fingers are inserted through the cam grooves.
- the body constituting the variable pitch device is equipped with the plurality of movable fingers that are capable of being moved along the longitudinal direction, together with the cam plate that is capable of moving in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the movable fingers, and the plurality of cam grooves, which are inclined with respect to the direction of movement, are formed in the cam plate, and portions of the movable fingers are inserted through the cam grooves.
- the driving force of the drive unit is transmitted to the cam plate that constitutes the driving force transmission mechanism, and the cam plate is moved in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the movable fingers, whereby the plurality of movable fingers which are inserted respectively through the cam grooves undergo movement in a manner so that the interval separation between the movable fingers becomes even along the longitudinal direction of the body.
- the cam plate including the cam grooves as a driving force transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the drive unit to the plurality of movable fingers
- the configuration can be simplified in comparison with a conventional variable pitch device in which the rotational driving force of a motor is transmitted to slide blocks via a plate cam and two levers, and along therewith, it is possible to make the variable pitch device smaller in size and to reduce manufacturing costs.
- FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a variable pitch device according to a first embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the variable pitch device of FIG. 1 as viewed from another (rear side) direction;
- FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 9 is an overall cross-sectional view showing a drive unit that constitutes the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 10 is an external perspective view showing an open state in which movable fingers are opened in the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI of FIG. 10 ;
- FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII of FIG. 10 ;
- FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII of FIG. 12 ;
- FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 12 ;
- FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 15 ;
- FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII of FIG. 17 ;
- FIG. 20 is an external perspective view showing a closed state in which the movable fingers of the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 15 approach one another;
- FIG. 21 is an overall front surface view of the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 20 ;
- FIG. 23 is a partially omitted external perspective view of the variable pitch device of FIG. 22 as viewed from another (rear side) direction;
- FIG. 24 is an exploded perspective view of the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 23 ;
- FIG. 25 is an overall front surface view of the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 22 ;
- FIG. 26 is an overall rear surface view of the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 22 ;
- FIG. 27 is an overall cross-sectional view showing a drive unit that constitutes the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 23 ;
- FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII of FIG. 26 ;
- FIG. 30 is an overall rear surface view of the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 29 ;
- FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXXI-XXXI of FIG. 30 ;
- FIG. 32 is an external perspective view of a variable pitch device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 33 is a partially omitted external perspective view of the variable pitch device of FIG. 32 as viewed from another (rear side) direction;
- FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 33 ;
- FIG. 35 is an overall front surface view of the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 32 ;
- FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXXVII-XXXVII of FIG. 36 ;
- FIG. 39 is an overall front surface view showing an open state in which movable fingers are opened in the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 35 ;
- FIG. 40 is an overall rear surface view of the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 39 ;
- FIG. 41 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XLI-XLI of FIG. 40 ;
- FIG. 42 is an overall rear surface view of a variable pitch device according to a first modification in which a first stopper mechanism is provided in the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 33 ;
- FIG. 43 is an overall rear surface view showing a state in which a sub-cam plate in the variable pitch device of FIG. 42 has been moved and placed in engagement with the first stopper mechanism;
- FIG. 44 is an overall rear surface view of a variable pitch device according to a second modification in which a second stopper mechanism is provided in the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 33 ;
- FIG. 45 is an overall rear surface view showing a state in which movable fingers in the variable pitch device of FIG. 44 are engaged by the second stopper mechanism;
- FIG. 46 is an overall rear surface view of a variable pitch device according to a third modification in which a third stopper mechanism is provided in the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 33 ;
- FIG. 47 is an overall rear surface view showing a state in which a sub-cam plate in the variable pitch device of FIG. 46 has been moved and placed in engagement with the third stopper mechanism;
- FIG. 48 is an overall rear surface view showing an open state in which movable fingers are opened in the variable pitch device shown in FIG. 46 .
- a variable pitch device 10 includes a body 12 , a drive unit 14 mounted on a rear surface of the body 12 , a plurality of movable fingers 16 a to 16 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving along a longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 12 , and a driving force transmission mechanism 18 that transmits a driving force of the drive unit 14 to the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d .
- a description will be given concerning a case in which four movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are provided.
- variable pitch device 10 is attached, for example, to the distal end of an arm in a non-illustrated transport device, and suction units P (see FIGS. 6 to 8 ) are mounted and used respectively on the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d.
- the body 12 is formed in an elongate shape along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ), and is equipped with a main body portion 20 that retains the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d in a movable manner, and a cover member 22 that is mounted on a rear side (in the direction of the arrow B 1 ) of the main body portion 20 .
- the main body portion 20 includes a finger accommodating section 24 which is formed on the front side (in the direction of the arrow B 2 ) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body 12 and in which the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are accommodated, and an accommodation chamber 26 formed on the rear side (in the direction of the arrow B 1 ) opposite to the front side.
- the finger accommodating section 24 is recessed at a predetermined depth from first end surfaces 28 on the front side and is formed substantially in parallel with the first end surfaces 28 , and a pair of engagement grooves 30 (see FIG. 8 ) recessed in a vertical direction (height direction) are formed at a position on the rear side (in the direction of the arrow B 1 ) with respect to the side of the first end surfaces 28 . Stated otherwise, as shown in FIG. 8 , the finger accommodating section 24 is formed so as to be wider in the height direction (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) on the rear side (in the direction of the arrow B 1 ) thereof. Additionally, the engagement grooves 30 , in the same manner as the finger accommodating section 24 , extend from a later-described fixed finger 32 to both ends in the longitudinal direction along the longitudinal direction of the body 12 .
- the fixed finger 32 is formed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 20 .
- the fixed finger 32 is elongated in the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) with a substantially rectangular cross section, is disposed in a manner so as to divide the finger accommodating section 24 into two parts in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ), and is formed so as to connect the upper first end surface 28 (in the direction of the arrow C 1 ) and the lower first end surface 28 (in the direction of the arrow C 2 ) that are divided by the finger accommodating section 24 .
- the fixed finger 32 protrudes slightly more outward (in the direction of the arrow B 2 ) than the first end surfaces 28 (see FIG. 6 ), while in addition, the protruding portion thereof includes a first mounting surface 34 substantially in parallel with the first end surfaces 28 .
- a suction unit P for attracting a workpiece is attached to the first mounting surface 34 via mounting holes 34 a.
- the accommodation chamber 26 is recessed at a predetermined depth with respect to a second end surface 36 on the rear side of the main body portion 20 , is formed substantially in parallel with the second end surface 36 , and is formed at a constant depth along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the main body portion 20 .
- the outer edge of the accommodation chamber 26 is covered by an outer wall of the main body portion 20 on the rear side, and a set of convex portions 38 having a rectangular cross section are disposed in a downwardly protruding manner on the outer wall above the accommodation chamber 26 (in the direction of the arrow C 1 ).
- corner portions 40 that bulge outward in a tapered shape are formed at the corners thereof.
- the main body portion 20 includes a separating wall 42 that separates the finger accommodating section 24 and the accommodation chamber 26 , and a pair of guide holes 44 are formed in the separating wall 42 at substantially central positions in the height direction.
- the guide holes 44 are formed in straight line shapes with the fixed finger 32 being at the center along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the main body portion 20 , extend from the fixed finger 32 to the vicinity of both ends of the main body portion 20 in the longitudinal direction, and are formed to penetrate through the separation wall 42 so as to provide communication between the finger accommodating section 24 and the accommodation chamber 26 .
- the cover member 22 is formed in a plate-like shape that entirely covers the rear side (in the direction of the arrow B 1 ) of the main body portion 20 , and a hole 46 extending in the height direction (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is formed in the center of the cover member 22 in the longitudinal direction.
- the hole 46 is formed in an elongate and linear shape in the height direction of the cover member 22 , and due to being formed so as to penetrate through the cover member 22 , provides communication between the accommodation chamber 26 of the main body portion 20 and the exterior.
- accommodation chamber 26 is placed in a covered state by the cover member 22 being fixed by a plurality of mounting bolts 48 in a state of being mounted on the rear side of the main body portion 20 .
- the drive unit 14 is made up from, for example, an electric actuator which is capable of moving a rod (output shaft) 58 forward and rearward in the axial direction (the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) under an energizing action. As shown in FIG.
- the drive unit 14 includes a housing 50 , a motor 52 accommodated in the interior of the housing 50 , a feed screw 54 rotatably provided in the interior of the housing 50 , a transmission mechanism 56 that transmits a driving force of the motor 52 to the feed screw 54 , the rod 58 that moves forward and rearward along the housing 50 under a rotating action of the feed screw 54 , and an end block 60 connected to a distal end of the rod 58 .
- the drive unit 14 is arranged in a manner so as to be perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (in the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 12 , and is connected to the cover member 22 by non-illustrated bolts or the like.
- the housing 50 includes first and second bore portions 62 and 64 formed in a hollow shape, and the first bore portion 62 and the second bore portion 64 are disposed respectively along the height direction (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 12 and are disposed adjacently in the longitudinal direction.
- the motor 52 is accommodated in the interior of the first bore portion 62
- the feed screw 54 , a slider 76 , and the rod 58 are accommodated in the interior of the second bore portion 64 .
- a pulley cover 66 is connected to upper end portions of the first and second bore portions 62 and 64 , and connects and closes the first bore portion 62 and the second bore portion 64 , and a portion of the transmission mechanism 56 is accommodated in the interior thereof.
- the feed screw 54 is made up from a shaft body having a predetermined length along the axial direction (the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ), and a screw thread is formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof, the feed screw 54 being accommodated inside the second bore portion 64 so as to extend in the height direction, and being rotatably supported via bearings 68 .
- the transmission mechanism 56 includes a drive pulley 70 connected to a drive shaft 95 of the motor 52 , a driven pulley 72 connected to one end portion of the feed screw 54 , a timing belt 74 placed between the drive pulley 70 and the driven pulley 72 , and the slider 76 that is screw-engaged on the outer circumference of the feed screw 54 .
- the slider 76 is made up from a cylindrical body having a female screw thread formed on an inner circumferential surface thereof, and is screw-engaged with the male screw thread of the feed screw 54 that is inserted in the interior thereof, and the rod 58 formed in an annular shape is connected to the other end thereof.
- the rod 58 is made up from a tubular body in which the feed screw 54 can be accommodated, and is provided in a manner so that the other end thereof is exposed to the exterior with respect to a lower end portion of the second bore portion 64 , the other end being covered and closed by a socket 78 .
- the end block 60 is formed in an L-shaped cross section and is disposed on the exterior of the second bore portion 64 .
- a short end portion 84 thereof is connected to the other end portion of the rod 58 by the socket 78 and a fixing bolt 82 substantially perpendicular to the rod 58 , and a side portion 86 thereof extending in a substantially perpendicular manner from one end of the end portion 84 extends in the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) laterally of the second bore portion 64 .
- a guide block 88 is provided on the side portion 86 on a side surface thereof facing toward the second bore portion 64 , and the guide block 88 engages with a concave guide rail 90 formed on the side wall of the second bore portion 64 . Consequently, the end block 60 which includes the side portion 86 is movably guided along the height direction (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) of the second bore portion 64 .
- a connecting block (connecting member) 92 that constitutes a later-described driving force transmission mechanism 18 is connected by two bolts 94 to a side surface opposite to the side surface on which the guide block 88 is provided.
- the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are formed, for example, with rectangular shapes in cross section, which are substantially the same shape as the fixed finger 32 , and are arranged so that elongated directions thereof are in the height direction (the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ).
- the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d each include, at both ends in the height direction, pairs of flange portions 96 (see FIGS. 3 and 8 ) protruding in the height direction.
- the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are accommodated in the finger accommodating section 24 of the body 12 , and the flange portions 96 thereof are arranged so as to be located in the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ), and inserted and placed in engagement, respectively, with the engagement grooves 30 . Consequently, the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are retained movably in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) along the finger accommodating section 24 of the body 12 .
- two movable fingers 16 a and 16 b from among the four movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are arranged on one side in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow A 1 ) with respect to the fixed finger 32 , whereas the remaining two movable fingers 16 c and 16 d are arranged on the other side in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow A 2 ) with respect to the fixed finger 32 .
- the four movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are arranged so as to have the same number on one side in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow A 1 ) and on the other side in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow A 2 ) with the fixed finger 32 being sandwiched therebetween.
- the front sides of the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d protrude slightly more outward (in the direction of the arrow B 2 ) than the first end surfaces 28 of the body 12 , and second mounting surfaces 98 substantially in parallel with the first end surfaces 28 are provided on the protruding portions thereof.
- the second mounting surfaces 98 are formed so as to lie flush with the first mounting surface 34 of the fixed finger 32 , and for example, in the same manner as the fixed finger 32 , suction units P for attracting workpieces are attached thereto via mounting holes 98 a.
- pin holes 100 are formed in the centers of the rear surfaces of the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d , and the finger pins 110 of the driving force transmission mechanism 18 , which will be described later, are press-fitted and fixed in the pin holes 100 , respectively.
- pairs of spring holes 104 into which springs (elastic member) 102 are inserted are formed respectively at positions above and below the pin holes 100 (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ), in opposing side surfaces of the adjacent movable fingers 16 a and 16 b and of the movable fingers 16 c and 16 d.
- the spring holes 104 are formed respectively at a predetermined depth along the direction of movement (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d , in the side surface of the movable finger 16 a ( 16 d ) and the side surface of the movable finger 16 b ( 16 c ) that lie adjacent to each other.
- the springs 102 are disposed between the spring holes 104 of the movable finger 16 a ( 16 d ) and the spring holes 104 of the movable finger 16 b ( 16 c ). More specifically, the springs 102 are disposed along the direction of movement of the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d , and namely, along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 12 .
- the springs 102 are made up, for example, from coil springs, an elastic force thereof is applied in a direction in which two adjacent movable fingers 16 a ( 16 d ) and 16 b ( 16 c ) are separated from each other, and by such an elastic force, rattling is prevented from occurring between the adjacent movable fingers 16 a and 16 b ( 16 c and 16 d ), and the movable fingers are maintained in a substantially parallel state at all times.
- the driving force transmission mechanism 18 is equipped with the connecting block 92 , which is connected to the end block 60 constituting the drive unit 14 and includes a connecting bolt (connecting member) 106 , a cam plate 108 accommodated in the accommodation chamber 26 of the body 12 and connected to the connecting bolt 106 , and the finger pins 110 which are inserted through first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 of the cam plate 108 and are connected to the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d.
- the connecting block 92 which is connected to the end block 60 constituting the drive unit 14 and includes a connecting bolt (connecting member) 106 , a cam plate 108 accommodated in the accommodation chamber 26 of the body 12 and connected to the connecting bolt 106 , and the finger pins 110 which are inserted through first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 of the cam plate 108 and are connected to the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d.
- the connecting block 92 is made up, for example, from a block body having a rectangular cross section, is connected to the side portion 86 of the end block 60 , and is disposed so as to protrude from the side portion 86 toward the side (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ) opposite to the housing 50 of the drive unit 14 .
- the connecting bolt 106 is connected to the center of the connecting block 92 in the height direction, so as to protrude toward the side of the body 12 (in the direction of the arrow B 2 ).
- the connecting block 92 is positioned so as to face toward the hole 46 of the cover member 22 , in a state with the drive unit 14 being fixed to the rear surface of the body 12 , and the connecting bolt 106 is inserted through the hole 46 and enters inside the accommodation chamber 26 (see FIG. 6 ).
- the cam plate 108 is made of an elongate plate material extending along the longitudinal direction of the body 12 (in the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ), and is formed in a shape having substantially the same dimension as the longitudinal dimension of the accommodation chamber 26 , and roughly half of the height dimension of the accommodation chamber 26 .
- the cam plate 108 is accommodated in the accommodation chamber 26 so as to be capable of moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ), and wear rings 112 are provided respectively on side portions of the cam plate 108 , such that when the cam plate 108 moves, it is guided in the vertical direction while the wear rings 112 are in contact with inner walls of the accommodation chamber 26 .
- the connecting bolt 106 is inserted from the rear side through a bolt hole 114 that penetrates in the thickness direction, and a nut 116 (see FIGS. 3 and 6 ) is screw-engaged on the distal end thereof, whereby the cam plate 108 is connected to the connecting bolt 106 .
- a pair of recesses 118 into which the convex portions 38 of the body 12 can be inserted are formed at the upper end of the cam plate 108 so as to be recessed downward (in the direction of the arrow C 2 ), and notched portions 120 that are notched diagonally are formed on lower ends of both ends thereof in the longitudinal direction.
- the cam plate 108 is provided with four first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 , which extend radially from the vicinity of the lower end toward the upper end side thereof.
- Two first and second cam grooves 122 and 124 are formed on one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ) with the hole 46 at the center in the longitudinal direction being sandwiched therebetween, and two third and fourth cam grooves 126 and 128 are formed on the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 2 ) with the hole 46 being sandwiched therebetween.
- first and third cam grooves 122 and 126 on both end sides of the cam plate 108 in the longitudinal direction are formed so as to be inclined respectively at a first angle of inclination ⁇ 1 with respect to a virtual line L passing through the center of the hole 46 in the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ), and are formed so as to have a symmetrical shape with respect to the virtual line L.
- the upper ends of the first and third cam grooves 122 and 126 extend to the vicinity of the upper end of both ends of the cam plate 108 in the longitudinal direction.
- first and second cam grooves 122 and 124 and the third and fourth cam grooves 126 and 128 are formed so as to have a symmetrical shape with respect to the center of the cam plate 108 in the longitudinal direction, and the first and third cam grooves 122 and 126 are formed to be longer than the second and fourth cam grooves 124 and 128 .
- the finger pins 110 protrude toward the rear side (in the direction of the arrow B 1 ) (see FIG. 7 ), are inserted respectively through the guide holes 44 of the body 12 , and are also inserted respectively through the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 in the cam plate 108 . Consequently, the finger pins 110 can be moved only in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 12 by the guide holes 44 .
- variable pitch device 10 is constructed basically as described above. Next, operations and advantages thereof will be described.
- the closed state in which the four movable fingers 16 a to 16 d shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 are moved toward the side of the fixed finger 32 , which is in the center of the body 12 in the longitudinal direction, and approach one another will be described as an initial state.
- the end portion 84 is placed in close proximity to the other end of the second bore portion 64 (see FIG. 2 ) by the end block 60 being moved upward (in the direction of the arrow C 1 ) under the driving action of the drive unit 14 , and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 , the cam plate 108 is positioned upwardly (in the direction of the arrow C 1 ) inside the accommodation chamber 26 , and the finger pins 110 are positioned at lower ends of the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 .
- the respective finger pins 110 are gathered together and approach the center of the body 12 in the longitudinal direction, and a state is brought about in which the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d to which the respective finger pins 110 are connected are gathered together toward the side of the fixed finger 32 in the center in the longitudinal direction, and are arranged in close proximity to each other at an interval separation D 1 (see FIG. 5 ).
- the slider 76 is lowered accompanying rotation of the feed screw 54 , and the rod 58 is lowered together with the slider 76 , whereby the end portion 84 of the end block 60 moves in a direction to separate away from the housing 50 (in the direction of the arrow C 2 ).
- the connecting block 92 is lowered together with the end block 60 , whereby the cam plate 108 connected by the connecting bolt 106 is lowered in the accommodation chamber 26 under a guiding action of the wear rings 112 .
- the respective finger pins 110 which are inserted into the guide holes 44 move respectively toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ), and separate away from each other in the longitudinal direction by way of the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 , respectively.
- the respective finger pins 110 that are inserted through the first and second cam grooves 122 and 124 move along the guide hole 44 to one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ) with respect to the fixed finger 32 .
- the finger pin 110 inserted through the first cam groove 122 further moves to one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ) with respect to the finger pin 110 that is inserted through the second cam groove 124 .
- the respective finger pins 110 that are inserted through the third and fourth cam grooves 126 and 128 move along the guide hole 44 to the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 2 ) with respect to the fixed finger 32 .
- the finger pin 110 inserted through the third cam groove 126 further moves to the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 2 ) with respect to the finger pin 110 that is inserted through the fourth cam groove 128 .
- first and second cam grooves 122 and 124 and the third and fourth cam grooves 126 and 128 are formed so as to have a symmetrical shape with respect to the direction of movement of the cam plate 108 (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ), the movement speed and the movement distance of the respective finger pins 110 to both end sides in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) are equivalent to each other, respectively.
- the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d connected to the finger pins 110 move toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction so as to separate away from the fixed finger 32 , while maintaining a state of being evenly spaced from each other in the finger accommodating section 24 .
- the motor 52 of the drive unit 14 is rotated in an opposite direction by a control signal from the non-illustrated controller, whereby the feed screw 54 is rotated in the opposite direction via the drive pulley 70 and the driven pulley 72 , and the rod 58 is moved so as to be drawn into the second bore portion 64 . Consequently, the end block 60 and the connecting block 92 move upward (in the direction of the arrow C 1 ) along the housing 50 , and along with such movement, the cam plate 108 moves upward inside the accommodation chamber 26 .
- the respective finger pins 110 inserted into the guide holes 44 move respectively toward the side of the fixed finger 32 by way of the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 .
- the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d which are connected to the finger pins 110 approach one another, and are placed in the closed state with the interval separation D 1 therebetween.
- variable pitch device 10 the direction of movement of the rod 58 in the drive unit 14 (the output direction, the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) and the direction of movement of the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) are perpendicular to each other.
- variable pitch device 10 is attached to the distal end of an arm in a non-illustrated transport device, and a plurality of workpieces are transported by respective suction units P that are attached to the fixed finger 32 and the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d.
- the closed state which is the initial state of the variable pitch device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 7
- five workpieces that are placed on the supply source are attracted and gripped by the suction units P which are provided on the fixed finger 32 and the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d .
- the interval separation between the respective workpieces corresponds to the interval separation D 1 of the fixed finger 32 and the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d in the closed state.
- the four movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are moved toward both ends of the body 12 in the longitudinal direction with respect to the fixed finger 32 , whereby the interval separation is increased in a manner so that the five workpieces which are gripped by the suction units P are separated from each other.
- the cam plate 108 of the variable pitch device 10 by movement of the cam plate 108 of the variable pitch device 10 to the lower end, as shown in FIGS.
- the fixed finger 32 and the four movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are placed in the open state of being separated at the maximum interval separation D 2 , and the five workpieces are also placed in a state of being separated at the interval separation D 2 .
- the cam plate 108 which is capable of moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) under the driving action of the drive unit 14 is provided in the interior of the accommodation chamber 26 in the body 12 , and the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 that are inclined at predetermined angles with respect to the direction of movement thereof (in the vertical direction) are included in the cam plate 108 .
- the four finger pins 110 which are inserted through the guide holes 44 that extend in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 12 , are inserted respectively through the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 .
- the finger pins 110 are connected to the four movable fingers 16 a to 16 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving in the longitudinal direction along the finger accommodating section 24 of the body 12 .
- variable pitch device 10 with a simple configuration in which the cam plate 108 and the finger pins 110 that transmit the driving force from the drive unit 14 to the plurality of movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are provided between the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d and the drive unit 14 , it becomes possible to make the size of the device smaller in the thickness direction (the direction of arrows B 1 and B 2 ), and to reduce manufacturing costs, in comparison with a conventional variable pitch device in which the driving force of the motor is transmitted to slide blocks via a plate cam and two levers.
- the springs 102 which bias the adjacent movable fingers 16 a to 16 d in directions away from each other (in the directions of arrows A 1 and A 2 ), are provided. Therefore, rattling is prevented from occurring between each two of the movable fingers 16 a to 16 d that are adjacent to each other, and the adjacent movable fingers 16 a and 16 b ( 16 c and 16 d ) are suitably maintained in a substantially parallel state at all times.
- the wear rings 112 which can slidably contact the inner walls of the accommodation chamber 26 , are provided on the side portions of the cam plate 108 , the cam plate 108 is prevented from coming into direct contact with the body 12 , and in addition, the cam plate 108 is suitably guided when moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) inside the accommodation chamber 26 .
- variable pitch device 150 according to a second embodiment is shown in FIGS. 15 to 21 .
- the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same constituent elements as those of the above-described variable pitch device 10 according to the first embodiment, and detailed description of such features is omitted.
- variable pitch device 150 differs from the variable pitch device 10 according to the first embodiment, in that it comprises a pair of guide rods (guide members) 156 a and 156 b for guiding a plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of a body 154 , and a pair of spring rods 160 a and 160 b for guiding springs (elastic members) 158 .
- variable pitch device 150 is equipped with end walls 164 a and 164 b provided respectively on both ends, in the longitudinal direction, of a main body portion 162 constituting the body 154 , and the pair of guide rods 156 a and 156 b and the spring rods 160 a and 160 b are disposed, respectively, substantially in parallel with each other in the finger accommodating section 24 .
- the guide rods 156 a and 156 b are disposed on upper and lower sides in the finger accommodating section 24 , and are disposed along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 154 , one end thereof being retained by the end wall 164 a , and the other end thereof being retained by the end wall 164 b.
- first rod holes 170 are formed to penetrate along the direction of movement of the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d , and more specifically, along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 154 , and in the vicinity of the upper ends and the lower ends, respectively, of the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d.
- the plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d move in the finger accommodating section 24 of the body 154 , they are guided highly accurately in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) along the pair of guide rods 156 a and 156 b that are inserted through the first rod holes 170 .
- the spring rods 160 a and 160 b are disposed in the finger accommodating section 24 closer to a central side in the height direction than the guide rods 156 a and 156 b , and are disposed along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 154 , one end thereof being retained by the end wall 164 a , and the other end thereof being retained by the end wall 164 b.
- the spring rods 160 a and 160 b are inserted through second rod grooves 172 of the fixed finger 166 , which are recessed with respect to the first mounting surface 34 , and are inserted through second rod holes 174 , which are formed in the plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d.
- the second rod holes 174 are formed to penetrate along the direction of movement of the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d , and more specifically, along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 154 , at positions closer to the side of the pin holes 100 than the first rod holes 170 , and at symmetrical positions with respect to the heightwise center of the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d having the pin holes 100 . Further, the second rod holes 174 are formed coaxially with the spring holes 104 into which the springs 158 are inserted.
- the springs 158 are inserted onto outer circumferential sides of the spring rods 160 a and 160 b , and both ends of the springs 158 are inserted respectively into the spring holes 104 (see FIG. 16 ). More specifically, the spring rods 160 a and 160 b are used as a guide unit that retains, in the longitudinal direction of the body 154 , the springs 158 interposed between the movable fingers 152 a and 152 b ( 152 c and 152 d ).
- variable pitch device 150 is constructed basically as described above. Next, operations and advantages thereof will be described. Moreover, concerning operations that are the same as those of the variable pitch device 10 according to the first embodiment, detailed description of such features will be omitted.
- the cam plate 108 is positioned upwardly (in the direction of the arrow C 1 ) inside the body 154 , and against the elastic force of the springs 158 provided between the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d , the four movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are in a state of being moved and placed in close proximity to the side of the fixed finger 166 , which is located in the center in the longitudinal direction of the body 154 .
- the aforementioned springs 158 are accommodated respectively inside the spring holes 104 in the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d.
- the cam plate 108 is lowered inside the body 154 under a driving action of the drive unit 14 , whereby the finger pins 110 start to move toward both end sides (in the directions of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) in the longitudinal direction of the body 154 by way of the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 , and accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 17 , the respective movable fingers 152 a to 152 d move toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction so as to be separated from the fixed finger 166 .
- the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are guided smoothly and with high accuracy along the longitudinal direction of the body 154 by the pair of guide rods 156 a and 156 b . Further, by the springs 158 provided between the adjacent movable fingers 152 a and 152 b ( 152 c and 152 d ), rattling is prevented from occurring between the movable fingers 152 a and 152 b ( 152 c and 152 d ), and since the springs 158 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the heightwise center of the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d , the adjacent movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are maintained in a substantially parallel state at all times.
- the cam plate 108 moves to the lower end inside the accommodation chamber 26 under the driving action of the drive unit 14 , whereby in the longitudinal direction of the body 154 , the respective movable fingers 152 a to 152 d and the fixed finger 166 are arranged respectively at an equal interval separation D 2 in the open state.
- the cam plate 108 which is capable of moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) under the driving action of the drive unit 14 is provided in the interior of the body 154 , and the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 that are inclined at predetermined angles with respect to the direction of movement thereof (in the vertical direction) are included in the cam plate 108 .
- the four finger pins 110 which are inserted through the guide holes 44 that extend in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 154 , are inserted respectively through the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 .
- the finger pins 110 are connected to the four movable fingers 152 a to 152 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving in the longitudinal direction along the finger accommodating section 24 of the body 154 .
- variable pitch device 150 with a simple configuration in which the cam plate 108 and the finger pins 110 that transmit the driving force from the drive unit 14 to the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are provided between the plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d and the drive unit 14 , it becomes possible to make the size of the device smaller in the thickness direction (the direction of arrows B 1 and B 2 ), and to reduce manufacturing costs, in comparison with a conventional variable pitch device in which the driving force of the motor is transmitted to slide blocks via a plate cam and two levers.
- the pair of guide rods 156 a and 156 b which extend along the longitudinal direction are provided, and the guide rods 156 a and 156 b are inserted through the first rod holes 170 of the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d . Consequently, when the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d move along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 154 under the driving action of the drive unit 14 , they can be guided in the longitudinal direction by the guide rods 156 a and 156 b , whereby it becomes possible for the plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d to be operated smoothly and with high accuracy.
- the elastic force of the springs 158 can be applied in the longitudinal direction with respect to the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d . Therefore, the adjacent movable fingers 152 a to 152 d can be maintained in parallel at all times, and the distance between the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d can be managed in a highly accurate manner.
- variable pitch device 200 according to a third embodiment is shown in FIGS. 22 to 31 .
- the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same constituent elements as those of the above-described variable pitch device 150 according to the second embodiment, and detailed description of such features is omitted.
- variable pitch device 200 differs from the variable pitch device 150 according to the second embodiment, in that a drive unit 202 is arranged substantially in parallel along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of a body 204 , and a sub-cam plate (conversion member) 208 connected to the drive unit 202 and constituting a driving force transmission mechanism 206 is provided.
- the variable pitch device 200 includes the body 204 , the drive unit 202 mounted on a rear surface of the body 204 , a plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 204 , and the driving force transmission mechanism 206 that transmits the driving force of the drive unit 202 to the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d.
- the body 204 is formed in an elongate shape along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ), and is equipped with the main body portion 162 that retains the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d in a movable manner, the cover member 22 that is mounted on a rear side (in the direction of the arrow B 1 ) of the main body portion 162 , and a box-shaped casing 210 that covers the rear side of the main body portion 162 together with the cover member 22 .
- the drive unit 202 is made up from an electric actuator that can be driven under an energizing action, and the housing 50 is connected to the rear surface of the cover member 22 so as to extend along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 204 .
- the rod 58 moves forward and rearward along the longitudinal direction of the body 204 under the energizing action.
- the main structure of the drive unit 202 is substantially the same as that of the drive unit 14 used in the variable pitch devices 10 and 150 according to the first and second embodiments, and one end side thereof on which the pulley cover 66 is provided is fixed so as to be on one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ) of the body 204 .
- the sub-cam plate 208 that constitutes the driving force transmission mechanism 206 is movably provided on the rear side of the cover member 22 .
- the sub-cam plate 208 includes a base portion 212 formed in a rectangular plate-like shape, and a connecting piece 214 that is erected from the base portion 212 .
- the sub-cam plate 208 is disposed in a manner so that the base portion 212 is in contact with the rear surface of the cover member 22 , and the upper end and the lower end thereof are retained movably in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) by a pair of guide pieces 216 a and 216 b which are provided in the vicinity of the upper end and the lower end of the cover member 22 .
- a sub-cam groove (second cam groove) 218 is formed in the base portion 212 between the upper end and the lower end which are retained by the pair of guide pieces 216 a and 216 b .
- the sub-cam groove 218 is formed in an inclined manner at a predetermined angle with respect to the direction of movement (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the sub-cam plate 208 such that, with respect to the central lower end on which the connecting piece 214 is provided, the upper end thereof is formed on the side of the drive unit 202 (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ), and the lower end thereof is formed on the opposite side (in the direction of the arrow A 2 ) from the drive unit 202 .
- the connecting bolt 106 which is connected to the cam plate 108 is movably inserted through the sub-cam groove 218 .
- the connecting piece 214 protrudes in a direction away from the cover member 22 (in the direction of the arrow B 1 in FIGS. 23 and 28 ) substantially perpendicular to the base portion 212 , and the other end of the rod 58 in the drive unit 202 is connected thereto via the socket 78 and the fixing bolt 82 (see FIG. 27 ).
- the sub-cam plate 208 moves along the longitudinal direction (in the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 204 in a state of being retained by the pair of guide pieces 216 a and 216 b.
- the drive unit 202 and the sub-cam plate 208 described above are covered by the casing 210 which is mounted on the rear side of the main body portion 162 (see FIG. 23 ).
- variable pitch device 200 is constructed basically as described above. Next, operations and advantages thereof will be described.
- the cam plate 108 connected to the connecting bolt 106 is positioned upwardly (in the direction of the arrow C 1 ) inside the body 204 , and against the elastic force of the springs 158 , the four movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are in a state of being moved and placed in close proximity to the side of the fixed finger 166 , which is located in the center in the longitudinal direction of the body 204 .
- the rod 58 moves in the axial direction (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ) and is drawn into the housing 50 under a rotating action of the motor 52 .
- the sub-cam plate 208 moves to one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ) of the body 204 under a guiding action of the guide pieces 216 a and 216 b.
- the connecting bolt 106 which is inserted through the sub-cam groove 218 , is lowered, and the cam plate 108 connected thereto is lowered inside the accommodation chamber 26 .
- the respective finger pins 110 which are inserted into the guide holes 44 move respectively toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ), and separate away from each other in the longitudinal direction by way of the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 , respectively.
- the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d connected to the finger pins 110 move toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction so as to separate away from the fixed finger 166 in the finger accommodating section 24 of the body 204 .
- the cam plate 108 moves to the lower end inside the accommodation chamber 26 under the driving action of the drive unit 202 , whereby in the longitudinal direction of the body 204 , the respective movable fingers 152 a to 152 d and the fixed finger 166 are arranged at an equal interval separation D 2 (see FIG. 39 ) in the open state.
- the above-described variable pitch device 200 is configured in a manner so that the direction of movement of the rod 58 in the drive unit 202 (the output direction, the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) and the direction of movement of the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) are in parallel with each other.
- the aforementioned sub-cam plate 208 functions as an output conversion unit for converting the output along the longitudinal direction from the rod 58 of the drive unit 202 into the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ), and transmitting the converted output to the cam plate 108 .
- the cam plate 108 which is capable of moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) via the sub-cam plate 208 under the driving action of the drive unit 202 is provided, and the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 that are inclined at predetermined angles with respect to the direction of movement thereof (in the vertical direction) are included in the cam plate 108 .
- the four finger pins 110 which are inserted through the guide holes 44 that extend in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 204 , are inserted respectively through the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 .
- the finger pins 110 are connected to the four movable fingers 152 a to 152 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving in the longitudinal direction along the finger accommodating section 24 of the body 204 .
- variable pitch device 200 with a simple configuration in which the cam plate 108 , the sub-cam plate 208 , and the finger pins 110 that transmit the driving force from the drive unit 202 to the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are provided between the plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d and the drive unit 202 , it becomes possible to make the device smaller in size and to reduce manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for a swinging member, in comparison with a conventional variable pitch device provided with two levers that swing with respect to a base plate.
- the drive unit 202 which is made up from an electric actuator, along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 204 , the drive unit 202 does not protrude in the height direction (the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) from the body 204 .
- the variable pitch device 200 is suitable for a case in which there is a restriction in the height direction, for example, when the variable pitch device 200 is attached to a non-illustrated transport device.
- variable pitch device 250 according to a fourth embodiment is shown in FIGS. 32 to 41 .
- the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same constituent elements as those of the above-described variable pitch device 200 according to the third embodiment, and detailed description of such features is omitted.
- variable pitch device 250 differs from the variable pitch device 200 according to the third embodiment, in that a fluid pressure cylinder is used as a drive unit 254 instead of an electric actuator.
- the drive unit 254 comprises a cylindrical cylinder tube 260 fixed to the cover member 22 , the piston 256 displaceably provided along a cylinder chamber 262 of the cylinder tube 260 , and a piston rod 258 extending in the axial direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) from the center of one end of the piston 256 , and a pair of ports 264 a and 264 b formed in the cylinder tube 260 communicate with the cylinder chamber 262 which is divided by the piston 256 .
- the drive unit 254 is fixed in a manner so that the axial direction of the piston 256 and the piston rod 258 lie along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 252 .
- variable pitch device 250 is constructed basically as described above. Next, operations and advantages thereof will be described.
- the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d connected to the finger pins 110 move toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) so as to separate away from the fixed finger 166 in the finger accommodating section 24 of the body 252 , as shown in FIGS. 39 and 40 .
- the cam plate 108 moves to the lower end inside the accommodation chamber 26 under the driving action of the drive unit 254 , whereby in the longitudinal direction of the body 252 , the respective movable fingers 152 a to 152 d and the fixed finger 166 are arranged at an equal interval separation D 2 (see FIG. 29 ) in the open state.
- the fluid is supplied to the port 264 b , which is opposite to the port 264 a , with respect to the drive unit 254 . Consequently, the piston 256 and the piston rod 258 move toward the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 2 ) of the body 252 , and are drawn into the interior of the cylinder tube 260 , and along therewith, the sub-cam plate 268 is moved to the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 2 ) along the body 252 .
- the connecting bolt 106 that is inserted through the sub-cam groove 218 rises, and the cam plate 108 moves upward (in the direction of the arrow C 1 ) inside the accommodation chamber 26 .
- the respective finger pins 110 inserted into the guide holes 44 move respectively toward the side of the fixed finger 166 by way of the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 , respectively, and as shown in FIG. 35 , they approach one another and are placed in the closed state with the interval separation D 1 therebetween.
- the above-described variable pitch device 250 is configured in a manner so that the direction of movement of the piston rod 258 in the drive unit 254 (the output direction, the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) and the direction of movement of the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) are in parallel with each other.
- the aforementioned sub-cam plate 268 functions as an output conversion unit for converting the output along the longitudinal direction from the piston rod 258 of the drive unit 254 into the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ), and transmitting the converted output to the cam plate 108 .
- the cam plate 108 which is capable of moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C 1 and C 2 ) via the sub-cam plate 268 under the driving action of the drive unit 254 is provided, and the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 that are inclined at predetermined angles with respect to the direction of movement thereof (in the vertical direction) are included in the cam plate 108 .
- the four finger pins 110 which are inserted through the guide holes 44 that extend in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 252 , are inserted respectively through the first to fourth cam grooves 122 , 124 , 126 , and 128 .
- the finger pins 110 are connected to the four movable fingers 152 a to 152 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving in the longitudinal direction along the finger accommodating section 24 of the body 252 .
- variable pitch device 250 with a simple configuration in which the cam plate 108 , the sub-cam plate 268 , and the finger pins 110 that transmit the driving force from the drive unit 254 to the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are provided between the plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d and the drive unit 254 , it becomes possible to make the device smaller in size and to reduce manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for a swinging member, in comparison with a conventional variable pitch device provided with two levers that swing with respect to a base plate.
- variable pitch device 250 is suitable for a case in which there is a restriction in the height direction, for example, when the variable pitch device 250 is attached to a non-illustrated transport device.
- the fluid pressure cylinder as the drive unit 254 , in comparison with the variable pitch device 200 according to the third embodiment in which an electric actuator is used as the drive unit 202 , it is possible to make the size of the device smaller in the thickness direction (the direction of arrows B 1 and B 2 ).
- variable pitch devices 280 , 300 , and 310 equipped with stopper mechanisms which are capable of adjusting the interval separation between the plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d in the open state.
- the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same constituent elements as those of the above-described variable pitch device 250 according to the fourth embodiment, and detailed description of such features is omitted.
- the variable pitch device 280 includes a first stopper mechanism 282 that faces toward the direction of movement (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the sub-cam plate 268 on the rear surface of the cover member 22 .
- the first stopper mechanism 282 is provided, for example, on one side in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow A 1 ) of the body 252 , and includes a holder 284 fixed to the rear surface of the cover member 22 , a stopper pin (stopper member) 286 screw-engaged with the holder 284 , and a lock nut 288 that regulates forward and rearward movement of the stopper pin 286 .
- the holder 284 is disposed substantially at a right angle with respect to the rear surface of the cover member 22 , and additionally, is disposed at a position on the axis of the piston rod 258 in the drive unit 254 .
- a screw hole 290 which penetrates along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) of the body 252 , is formed at the center of the holder 284 , and the stopper pin 286 is screw-engaged therein.
- the stopper pin 286 is made up from a shaft body having a screw thread formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof, is screw-engaged into the screw hole 290 of the holder 284 , is provided so as to be movable forward and rearward in the axial direction (the direction of arrows A 1 and A 2 ) by being screw-rotated with respect to the holder 284 , and is formed coaxially with the piston rod 258 that constitutes the drive unit 254 . Stated otherwise, the stopper pin 286 is provided so as to be capable of approaching toward and separating away from the sub-cam plate 268 .
- the lock nut 288 is screw-engaged with the stopper pin 286 , and is provided so as to be on one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ) of the body 252 with respect to the holder 284 . Further, when the lock nut 288 comes into contact with the side surface of the holder 284 , screw-rotation of the stopper pin 286 with respect to the holder 284 is restricted.
- a stopper block 292 substantially in parallel with the connecting piece 270 is formed on the sub-cam plate 268 .
- the stopper block 292 is substantially perpendicular to the base portion 212 , protrudes in the same direction as the connecting piece 270 , and is disposed on one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ) of the base portion 212 . Further, the stopper block 292 is formed at a position forming a straight line with the connecting piece 270 in the direction of movement of the sub-cam plate 268 , and is arranged so as to face toward the distal end of the stopper pin 286 of the first stopper mechanism 282 .
- the stopper pin 286 of the first stopper mechanism 282 is screw-rotated, and the distal end of the stopper pin 286 is moved so as to be placed on the side of the drive unit 254 (in the direction of the arrow A 2 ) beyond the position of the sub-cam plate 268 in the open state of the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d .
- the lock nut 288 is screw-rotated and placed in contact with the holder 284 .
- the sub-cam plate 268 moves toward the side of the first stopper mechanism 282 (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ) under the driving action of the drive unit 254 , whereby further movement thereof is restricted by the stopper block 292 coming into contact with the distal end of the stopper pin 286 . More specifically, the sub-cam plate 268 is stopped at a position that is nearer to the front side (in the direction of the arrow A 2 ) by a predetermined distance than the movement position E (see FIG. 43 ) at the maximum interval separation in which the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are fully opened.
- the plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d do not open from the closed state to the fully open state at the maximum interval separation D 2 , but are placed in the open state at an equal interval separation D 3 which is smaller than the interval separation D 2 (D 3 ⁇ D 2 ).
- the present invention is not limited to a case, as in the above-described first stopper mechanism 282 , in which the stopper mechanism is provided on the rear side of the body 252 and regulates the amount of movement of the sub-cam plate 268 .
- a second stopper mechanism 302 may be provided which is capable of directly regulating the movement of the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d along the longitudinal direction.
- the stopper pin 306 is disposed in a manner so as to protrude from the end wall 164 b toward the side of the finger accommodating section 24 (in the direction of the arrow A 1 ) in which the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are accommodated, and is provided movably along the longitudinal direction of the body 252 under a screw-rotating action thereof.
- the plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d do not open from the closed state to the fully open state at the maximum interval separation D 2 , but are placed in the open state while being separated from each other by an interval separation D 4 which is smaller than the interval separation D 2 (D 4 ⁇ D 2 ).
- the movement distance (movement position) when the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are moved is capable of being adjusted, whereby it is possible to freely adjust the interval separation between the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d in the open state.
- a variable pitch device 310 includes a third stopper mechanism 312 that faces toward the direction of movement (the direction of the arrow A 1 ) of the sub-cam plate 268 on the rear surface of the cover member 22 , and the third stopper mechanism 312 is constituted from a cylinder device 314 that is driven under a fluid supplying action. Moreover, since the cylinder device 314 that constitutes the third stopper mechanism 312 has the same configuration as that of the drive unit 254 according to the fourth embodiment, detailed description of this feature will be omitted.
- the fluid is supplied to a port 318 a in the cylinder device 314 in the closed state (initial state) shown in FIG. 46 , whereby the piston rod 316 is moved to the pushed-out position of being pushed out toward the side of the sub-cam plate 268 (in the direction of the arrow A 2 ) (see FIG. 48 ).
- the sub-cam plate 268 does not contact with the distal end of the piston rod 316 when moving to the side of the cylinder device 314 . Therefore, the sub-cam plate 268 moves to a desired position along the body 252 , and along therewith, the cam plate 108 is moved to the lower end of the accommodation chamber 26 , whereby the plurality of movable fingers 152 a to 152 d can be placed in the fully open state of being opened at the maximum interval separation D 2 .
- variable pitch device 310 equipped with the third stopper mechanism 312 , it is possible to displace the piston rod 316 under the action of supplying the fluid to the cylinder device 314 , and to freely switch between the pushed-out position (regulated state) in which movement of the sub-cam plate 268 in the longitudinal direction can be regulated, and the drawn-in position (unregulated state) in which movement of the sub-cam plate 268 is not hindered.
- the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d can be switched by the third stopper mechanism 312 between an open state in which the cam plate 108 is moved to the lower end and the movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are fully opened, and an intermediate open state between the closed state and the open state in which the cam plate 108 is stopped at an intermediate location. Consequently, when a plurality of workpieces are transported using the variable pitch device 310 , the workpieces can be supplied to a supply destination at two different intervals D 2 and D 5 .
- variable pitch device is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various configurations could be adopted therein without deviating from the essence and gist of the present invention.
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Abstract
Description
- This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-229621 filed on Dec. 19, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
- The present invention relates to a variable pitch device for, in a process of transporting a plurality of workpieces, changing an interval separation between workpieces arranged in parallel from an interval separation at a supply source to an interval separation corresponding to a supply destination and then supplying the workpieces to the supply destination.
- Conventionally, for example, on a factory production line or the like, a workpiece, which is placed on a table, is gripped by a transport device provided with a suction pad at a distal end thereof, and the workpiece is transported to a predetermined position. In recent years, a variable pitch device has been known, which is capable of simultaneously grasping a plurality of workpieces which are arranged in parallel on a table, adjusting the plurality of workpieces to a predetermined interval spacing in accordance with an arrangement condition of a supply destination, and supplying the workpieces to the supply destination.
- In such a variable pitch device, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-105857, a motor is attached to a rear surface of a base plate, and a plate cam which is formed in a disk-like shape, two levers, and a slide shaft are provided on a front surface of the base plate. Additionally, a cam groove is formed in the plate cam, and the plate cam is disposed to be capable of rotating under a driving action of the motor via a rotating shaft provided in the center of the cam groove. The cam groove is formed in an annular shape centered about the rotating shaft.
- Further, the two levers are disposed so as to be capable of swinging about fulcrums supported on the base plate in the vicinity of upper and lower sides of the plate cam, follower rollers which are inserted into the cam groove of the plate cam are provided on the front surface thereof, and a plurality of roller pins are disposed on the rear surface thereof.
- Furthermore, the slide shaft extends along a widthwise direction of the base plate, and eight slide blocks are movably retained thereby. In addition, the slide blocks are capable of sliding substantially in parallel with each other, and grooves are formed on the rear surface thereof. Respective roller pins provided on the levers are rotatably engaged with the grooves.
- In addition, the plate cam is rotated under a driving action of the motor, and by the levers being made to swing about the fulcrums by the respective follower rollers which are coupled to the cam groove, the slide blocks which are connected via the roller pins move in parallel along the slide shaft. Since movement of the slide blocks is symmetrical in the longitudinal direction of the slide shaft, the respective slide blocks undergo movement while always keeping the interval spacing therebetween constant.
- In the variable pitch device described above, a configuration is provided in which the slide blocks are made to slide by transmitting a rotational driving force of the motor to the plate cam, causing the plate cam to undergo rotation, and causing the levers to swing. Therefore, the configuration for transmitting the rotational driving force from the motor to the slide blocks is complex, and there is a concern of bringing about an increase in the size of the variable pitch device, as well as leading to a steep rise in manufacturing costs.
- A general object of the present invention is to provide a variable pitch device, which with a simple configuration, is capable of reducing manufacturing costs and decreasing the size of the variable pitch device.
- An aspect of the present invention is characterized by a variable pitch device comprising a body, a drive unit connected to the body, a plurality of movable fingers disposed movably along a longitudinal direction of the body, and a driving force transmission mechanism configured to transmit a driving force of the drive unit to the movable fingers, the variable pitch device moving the plurality of movable fingers in a manner so that an interval separation between the movable fingers becomes even along the longitudinal direction under a driving action of the drive unit, wherein the driving force transmission mechanism includes a cam plate provided on the body, and configured to be movable in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the movable fingers, and a plurality of cam grooves, which are inclined with respect to the direction of movement, are formed in the cam plate, and portions of the movable fingers are inserted through the cam grooves.
- According to the present invention, the body constituting the variable pitch device is equipped with the plurality of movable fingers that are capable of being moved along the longitudinal direction, together with the cam plate that is capable of moving in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the movable fingers, and the plurality of cam grooves, which are inclined with respect to the direction of movement, are formed in the cam plate, and portions of the movable fingers are inserted through the cam grooves.
- In addition, the driving force of the drive unit is transmitted to the cam plate that constitutes the driving force transmission mechanism, and the cam plate is moved in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the movable fingers, whereby the plurality of movable fingers which are inserted respectively through the cam grooves undergo movement in a manner so that the interval separation between the movable fingers becomes even along the longitudinal direction of the body.
- Accordingly, by providing the cam plate including the cam grooves as a driving force transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the drive unit to the plurality of movable fingers, the configuration can be simplified in comparison with a conventional variable pitch device in which the rotational driving force of a motor is transmitted to slide blocks via a plate cam and two levers, and along therewith, it is possible to make the variable pitch device smaller in size and to reduce manufacturing costs.
- The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example.
-
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a variable pitch device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the variable pitch device ofFIG. 1 as viewed from another (rear side) direction; -
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI ofFIG. 5 ; -
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII ofFIG. 5 ; -
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII ofFIG. 5 ; -
FIG. 9 is an overall cross-sectional view showing a drive unit that constitutes the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 10 is an external perspective view showing an open state in which movable fingers are opened in the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI ofFIG. 10 ; -
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII ofFIG. 10 ; -
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII ofFIG. 12 ; -
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV ofFIG. 12 ; -
FIG. 15 is an external perspective view of a variable pitch device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 15 ; -
FIG. 17 is an overall front surface view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 15 ; -
FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII ofFIG. 17 ; -
FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIX-XIX ofFIG. 17 ; -
FIG. 20 is an external perspective view showing a closed state in which the movable fingers of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 15 approach one another; -
FIG. 21 is an overall front surface view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 20 ; -
FIG. 22 is an external perspective view of a variable pitch device according to a third embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 23 is a partially omitted external perspective view of the variable pitch device ofFIG. 22 as viewed from another (rear side) direction; -
FIG. 24 is an exploded perspective view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 23 ; -
FIG. 25 is an overall front surface view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 22 ; -
FIG. 26 is an overall rear surface view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 22 ; -
FIG. 27 is an overall cross-sectional view showing a drive unit that constitutes the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 23 ; -
FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII ofFIG. 26 ; -
FIG. 29 is an overall front surface view showing an open state in which movable fingers are opened in the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 25 ; -
FIG. 30 is an overall rear surface view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 29 ; -
FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXXI-XXXI ofFIG. 30 ; -
FIG. 32 is an external perspective view of a variable pitch device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 33 is a partially omitted external perspective view of the variable pitch device ofFIG. 32 as viewed from another (rear side) direction; -
FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 33 ; -
FIG. 35 is an overall front surface view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 32 ; -
FIG. 36 is an overall rear surface view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 32 ; -
FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXXVII-XXXVII ofFIG. 36 ; -
FIG. 38 is an overall cross-sectional view showing a drive unit that constitutes the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 33 ; -
FIG. 39 is an overall front surface view showing an open state in which movable fingers are opened in the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 35 ; -
FIG. 40 is an overall rear surface view of the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 39 ; -
FIG. 41 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XLI-XLI ofFIG. 40 ; -
FIG. 42 is an overall rear surface view of a variable pitch device according to a first modification in which a first stopper mechanism is provided in the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 33 ; -
FIG. 43 is an overall rear surface view showing a state in which a sub-cam plate in the variable pitch device ofFIG. 42 has been moved and placed in engagement with the first stopper mechanism; -
FIG. 44 is an overall rear surface view of a variable pitch device according to a second modification in which a second stopper mechanism is provided in the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 33 ; -
FIG. 45 is an overall rear surface view showing a state in which movable fingers in the variable pitch device ofFIG. 44 are engaged by the second stopper mechanism; -
FIG. 46 is an overall rear surface view of a variable pitch device according to a third modification in which a third stopper mechanism is provided in the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 33 ; -
FIG. 47 is an overall rear surface view showing a state in which a sub-cam plate in the variable pitch device ofFIG. 46 has been moved and placed in engagement with the third stopper mechanism; and -
FIG. 48 is an overall rear surface view showing an open state in which movable fingers are opened in the variable pitch device shown inFIG. 46 . - As shown in
FIGS. 1 to 8 , avariable pitch device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes abody 12, adrive unit 14 mounted on a rear surface of thebody 12, a plurality ofmovable fingers 16 a to 16 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving along a longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 12, and a drivingforce transmission mechanism 18 that transmits a driving force of thedrive unit 14 to themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d. In this instance, a description will be given concerning a case in which fourmovable fingers 16 a to 16 d are provided. In addition, the above-describedvariable pitch device 10 is attached, for example, to the distal end of an arm in a non-illustrated transport device, and suction units P (see FIGS. 6 to 8) are mounted and used respectively on themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d. - The
body 12 is formed in an elongate shape along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2), and is equipped with amain body portion 20 that retains themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d in a movable manner, and acover member 22 that is mounted on a rear side (in the direction of the arrow B1) of themain body portion 20. - The
main body portion 20 includes afinger accommodating section 24 which is formed on the front side (in the direction of the arrow B2) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of thebody 12 and in which themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d are accommodated, and anaccommodation chamber 26 formed on the rear side (in the direction of the arrow B1) opposite to the front side. - The
finger accommodating section 24 is recessed at a predetermined depth from first end surfaces 28 on the front side and is formed substantially in parallel with the first end surfaces 28, and a pair of engagement grooves 30 (seeFIG. 8 ) recessed in a vertical direction (height direction) are formed at a position on the rear side (in the direction of the arrow B1) with respect to the side of the first end surfaces 28. Stated otherwise, as shown inFIG. 8 , thefinger accommodating section 24 is formed so as to be wider in the height direction (in the direction of arrows C1 and C2) on the rear side (in the direction of the arrow B1) thereof. Additionally, theengagement grooves 30, in the same manner as thefinger accommodating section 24, extend from a later-describedfixed finger 32 to both ends in the longitudinal direction along the longitudinal direction of thebody 12. - Further, the fixed
finger 32 is formed at the center in the longitudinal direction of themain body portion 20. The fixedfinger 32 is elongated in the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2) with a substantially rectangular cross section, is disposed in a manner so as to divide thefinger accommodating section 24 into two parts in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2), and is formed so as to connect the upper first end surface 28 (in the direction of the arrow C1) and the lower first end surface 28 (in the direction of the arrow C2) that are divided by thefinger accommodating section 24. - In addition, the fixed
finger 32 protrudes slightly more outward (in the direction of the arrow B2) than the first end surfaces 28 (seeFIG. 6 ), while in addition, the protruding portion thereof includes a first mountingsurface 34 substantially in parallel with the first end surfaces 28. For example, a suction unit P for attracting a workpiece is attached to the first mountingsurface 34 via mountingholes 34 a. - As shown in
FIG. 4 andFIGS. 6 to 8 , theaccommodation chamber 26 is recessed at a predetermined depth with respect to asecond end surface 36 on the rear side of themain body portion 20, is formed substantially in parallel with thesecond end surface 36, and is formed at a constant depth along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of themain body portion 20. Further, as shown inFIG. 4 , the outer edge of theaccommodation chamber 26 is covered by an outer wall of themain body portion 20 on the rear side, and a set ofconvex portions 38 having a rectangular cross section are disposed in a downwardly protruding manner on the outer wall above the accommodation chamber 26 (in the direction of the arrow C1). On the other hand, on the outer wall below the accommodation chamber 26 (in the direction of the arrow C2),corner portions 40 that bulge outward in a tapered shape are formed at the corners thereof. - Further, as shown in
FIGS. 1 to 8 , themain body portion 20 includes a separatingwall 42 that separates thefinger accommodating section 24 and theaccommodation chamber 26, and a pair of guide holes 44 are formed in the separatingwall 42 at substantially central positions in the height direction. The guide holes 44 are formed in straight line shapes with the fixedfinger 32 being at the center along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of themain body portion 20, extend from the fixedfinger 32 to the vicinity of both ends of themain body portion 20 in the longitudinal direction, and are formed to penetrate through theseparation wall 42 so as to provide communication between thefinger accommodating section 24 and theaccommodation chamber 26. - As shown in
FIGS. 1 to 4 andFIGS. 6 to 8 , thecover member 22 is formed in a plate-like shape that entirely covers the rear side (in the direction of the arrow B1) of themain body portion 20, and ahole 46 extending in the height direction (in the direction of arrows C1 and C2) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is formed in the center of thecover member 22 in the longitudinal direction. Thehole 46 is formed in an elongate and linear shape in the height direction of thecover member 22, and due to being formed so as to penetrate through thecover member 22, provides communication between theaccommodation chamber 26 of themain body portion 20 and the exterior. - In addition, the
accommodation chamber 26 is placed in a covered state by thecover member 22 being fixed by a plurality of mountingbolts 48 in a state of being mounted on the rear side of themain body portion 20. - As shown in
FIGS. 1 to 5 andFIG. 9 , thedrive unit 14 is made up from, for example, an electric actuator which is capable of moving a rod (output shaft) 58 forward and rearward in the axial direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2) under an energizing action. As shown inFIG. 9 , thedrive unit 14 includes ahousing 50, amotor 52 accommodated in the interior of thehousing 50, afeed screw 54 rotatably provided in the interior of thehousing 50, atransmission mechanism 56 that transmits a driving force of themotor 52 to thefeed screw 54, therod 58 that moves forward and rearward along thehousing 50 under a rotating action of thefeed screw 54, and anend block 60 connected to a distal end of therod 58. - Additionally, as shown in
FIG. 2 , on the rear side (in the direction of the arrow B1) of thebody 12, thedrive unit 14 is arranged in a manner so as to be perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (in the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 12, and is connected to thecover member 22 by non-illustrated bolts or the like. - As shown in
FIG. 9 , thehousing 50 includes first andsecond bore portions first bore portion 62 and thesecond bore portion 64 are disposed respectively along the height direction (in the direction of arrows C1 and C2) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 12 and are disposed adjacently in the longitudinal direction. In addition, themotor 52 is accommodated in the interior of thefirst bore portion 62, and thefeed screw 54, aslider 76, and therod 58 are accommodated in the interior of thesecond bore portion 64. - Further, a
pulley cover 66 is connected to upper end portions of the first andsecond bore portions first bore portion 62 and thesecond bore portion 64, and a portion of thetransmission mechanism 56 is accommodated in the interior thereof. - The
feed screw 54 is made up from a shaft body having a predetermined length along the axial direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2), and a screw thread is formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof, thefeed screw 54 being accommodated inside thesecond bore portion 64 so as to extend in the height direction, and being rotatably supported viabearings 68. - The
transmission mechanism 56 includes adrive pulley 70 connected to adrive shaft 95 of themotor 52, a drivenpulley 72 connected to one end portion of thefeed screw 54, atiming belt 74 placed between thedrive pulley 70 and the drivenpulley 72, and theslider 76 that is screw-engaged on the outer circumference of thefeed screw 54. - The
slider 76 is made up from a cylindrical body having a female screw thread formed on an inner circumferential surface thereof, and is screw-engaged with the male screw thread of thefeed screw 54 that is inserted in the interior thereof, and therod 58 formed in an annular shape is connected to the other end thereof. Therod 58 is made up from a tubular body in which thefeed screw 54 can be accommodated, and is provided in a manner so that the other end thereof is exposed to the exterior with respect to a lower end portion of thesecond bore portion 64, the other end being covered and closed by asocket 78. - The
end block 60 is formed in an L-shaped cross section and is disposed on the exterior of thesecond bore portion 64. Ashort end portion 84 thereof is connected to the other end portion of therod 58 by thesocket 78 and a fixingbolt 82 substantially perpendicular to therod 58, and aside portion 86 thereof extending in a substantially perpendicular manner from one end of theend portion 84 extends in the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2) laterally of thesecond bore portion 64. - Further, a
guide block 88 is provided on theside portion 86 on a side surface thereof facing toward thesecond bore portion 64, and theguide block 88 engages with aconcave guide rail 90 formed on the side wall of thesecond bore portion 64. Consequently, theend block 60 which includes theside portion 86 is movably guided along the height direction (in the direction of arrows C1 and C2) of thesecond bore portion 64. - Furthermore, on the
side portion 86, a connecting block (connecting member) 92 that constitutes a later-described drivingforce transmission mechanism 18 is connected by twobolts 94 to a side surface opposite to the side surface on which theguide block 88 is provided. - In addition, when the
drive shaft 95 is rotated under an energizing action of themotor 52, the rotational drive force thereof is transmitted to thefeed screw 54 via thedrive pulley 70, thetiming belt 74, and the drivenpulley 72, and thefeed screw 54 is rotated in a state of being supported by thebearings 68. Consequently, theslider 76, which is screwed-engaged by rotation with thefeed screw 54, moves forward and rearward in the axial direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2) along thesecond bore portion 64 together with therod 58, and theend block 60 moves in the height direction along theguide rail 90. - As shown in
FIGS. 1, 3, and 5 to 8 , themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d are formed, for example, with rectangular shapes in cross section, which are substantially the same shape as the fixedfinger 32, and are arranged so that elongated directions thereof are in the height direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2). Themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d each include, at both ends in the height direction, pairs of flange portions 96 (seeFIGS. 3 and 8 ) protruding in the height direction. - In addition, the
movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are accommodated in thefinger accommodating section 24 of thebody 12, and theflange portions 96 thereof are arranged so as to be located in the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2), and inserted and placed in engagement, respectively, with theengagement grooves 30. Consequently, themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d are retained movably in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) along thefinger accommodating section 24 of thebody 12. - Further, on the
body 12, twomovable fingers movable fingers 16 a to 16 d are arranged on one side in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow A1) with respect to the fixedfinger 32, whereas the remaining twomovable fingers finger 32. More specifically, the fourmovable fingers 16 a to 16 d are arranged so as to have the same number on one side in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow A1) and on the other side in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow A2) with the fixedfinger 32 being sandwiched therebetween. - Furthermore, in a state of being accommodated in the
finger accommodating section 24, the front sides of themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d protrude slightly more outward (in the direction of the arrow B2) than the first end surfaces 28 of thebody 12, and second mounting surfaces 98 substantially in parallel with the first end surfaces 28 are provided on the protruding portions thereof. The second mounting surfaces 98 are formed so as to lie flush with the first mountingsurface 34 of the fixedfinger 32, and for example, in the same manner as the fixedfinger 32, suction units P for attracting workpieces are attached thereto via mountingholes 98 a. - Further still, pin holes 100 are formed in the centers of the rear surfaces of the
movable fingers 16 a to 16 d, and the finger pins 110 of the drivingforce transmission mechanism 18, which will be described later, are press-fitted and fixed in the pin holes 100, respectively. On the other hand, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 5 , pairs of spring holes 104 into which springs (elastic member) 102 are inserted are formed respectively at positions above and below the pin holes 100 (in the direction of arrows C1 and C2), in opposing side surfaces of the adjacentmovable fingers movable fingers - The spring holes 104 are formed respectively at a predetermined depth along the direction of movement (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of the
movable fingers 16 a to 16 d, in the side surface of themovable finger 16 a (16 d) and the side surface of themovable finger 16 b (16 c) that lie adjacent to each other. In addition, thesprings 102 are disposed between the spring holes 104 of themovable finger 16 a (16 d) and the spring holes 104 of themovable finger 16 b (16 c). More specifically, thesprings 102 are disposed along the direction of movement of themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d, and namely, along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 12. - The
springs 102 are made up, for example, from coil springs, an elastic force thereof is applied in a direction in which two adjacentmovable fingers 16 a (16 d) and 16 b (16 c) are separated from each other, and by such an elastic force, rattling is prevented from occurring between the adjacentmovable fingers - As shown in
FIGS. 2 to 8 , the drivingforce transmission mechanism 18 is equipped with the connectingblock 92, which is connected to theend block 60 constituting thedrive unit 14 and includes a connecting bolt (connecting member) 106, acam plate 108 accommodated in theaccommodation chamber 26 of thebody 12 and connected to the connectingbolt 106, and the finger pins 110 which are inserted through first tofourth cam grooves cam plate 108 and are connected to themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d. - The connecting
block 92 is made up, for example, from a block body having a rectangular cross section, is connected to theside portion 86 of theend block 60, and is disposed so as to protrude from theside portion 86 toward the side (in the direction of the arrow A1) opposite to thehousing 50 of thedrive unit 14. In addition, the connectingbolt 106 is connected to the center of the connectingblock 92 in the height direction, so as to protrude toward the side of the body 12 (in the direction of the arrow B2). - Further, the connecting
block 92 is positioned so as to face toward thehole 46 of thecover member 22, in a state with thedrive unit 14 being fixed to the rear surface of thebody 12, and the connectingbolt 106 is inserted through thehole 46 and enters inside the accommodation chamber 26 (seeFIG. 6 ). - As shown in
FIGS. 3 to 8 , thecam plate 108 is made of an elongate plate material extending along the longitudinal direction of the body 12 (in the direction of arrows A1 and A2), and is formed in a shape having substantially the same dimension as the longitudinal dimension of theaccommodation chamber 26, and roughly half of the height dimension of theaccommodation chamber 26. In addition, thecam plate 108 is accommodated in theaccommodation chamber 26 so as to be capable of moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C1 and C2), and wearrings 112 are provided respectively on side portions of thecam plate 108, such that when thecam plate 108 moves, it is guided in the vertical direction while the wear rings 112 are in contact with inner walls of theaccommodation chamber 26. - In the center of the
cam plate 108, the connectingbolt 106 is inserted from the rear side through abolt hole 114 that penetrates in the thickness direction, and a nut 116 (seeFIGS. 3 and 6 ) is screw-engaged on the distal end thereof, whereby thecam plate 108 is connected to the connectingbolt 106. - Further, as shown in
FIG. 4 , a pair ofrecesses 118 into which theconvex portions 38 of thebody 12 can be inserted are formed at the upper end of thecam plate 108 so as to be recessed downward (in the direction of the arrow C2), and notchedportions 120 that are notched diagonally are formed on lower ends of both ends thereof in the longitudinal direction. - Furthermore, the
cam plate 108 is provided with four first tofourth cam grooves second cam grooves hole 46 at the center in the longitudinal direction being sandwiched therebetween, and two third andfourth cam grooves hole 46 being sandwiched therebetween. - Further, the first and
third cam grooves cam plate 108 in the longitudinal direction are formed so as to be inclined respectively at a first angle of inclination θ1 with respect to a virtual line L passing through the center of thehole 46 in the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2), and are formed so as to have a symmetrical shape with respect to the virtual line L. In addition, the upper ends of the first andthird cam grooves cam plate 108 in the longitudinal direction. - On the other hand, the second and
fourth cam grooves fourth cam grooves recesses 118 in the longitudinal direction. - More specifically, the first and
second cam grooves fourth cam grooves cam plate 108 in the longitudinal direction, and the first andthird cam grooves fourth cam grooves - By being fixed in the pin holes 100 of the
movable fingers 16 a to 16 d, the finger pins 110 protrude toward the rear side (in the direction of the arrow B1) (seeFIG. 7 ), are inserted respectively through the guide holes 44 of thebody 12, and are also inserted respectively through the first tofourth cam grooves cam plate 108. Consequently, the finger pins 110 can be moved only in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 12 by the guide holes 44. - The
variable pitch device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is constructed basically as described above. Next, operations and advantages thereof will be described. The closed state in which the fourmovable fingers 16 a to 16 d shown inFIGS. 1 and 5 are moved toward the side of the fixedfinger 32, which is in the center of thebody 12 in the longitudinal direction, and approach one another will be described as an initial state. - In such an initial state, the
end portion 84 is placed in close proximity to the other end of the second bore portion 64 (seeFIG. 2 ) by theend block 60 being moved upward (in the direction of the arrow C1) under the driving action of thedrive unit 14, and as shown inFIGS. 4 and 6 , thecam plate 108 is positioned upwardly (in the direction of the arrow C1) inside theaccommodation chamber 26, and the finger pins 110 are positioned at lower ends of the first tofourth cam grooves - Therefore, as shown in
FIG. 4 , the respective finger pins 110 are gathered together and approach the center of thebody 12 in the longitudinal direction, and a state is brought about in which themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d to which the respective finger pins 110 are connected are gathered together toward the side of the fixedfinger 32 in the center in the longitudinal direction, and are arranged in close proximity to each other at an interval separation D1 (seeFIG. 5 ). - In the aforementioned initial state, by outputting a control signal from a non-illustrated controller to the
motor 52 of thedrive unit 14, thedrive shaft 95 of themotor 52 is rotated, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the drivepulley 70, thetiming belt 74, and the drivenpulley 72, and thefeed screw 54 is rotated in a state of being supported by thebearings 68. - The
slider 76 is lowered accompanying rotation of thefeed screw 54, and therod 58 is lowered together with theslider 76, whereby theend portion 84 of theend block 60 moves in a direction to separate away from the housing 50 (in the direction of the arrow C2). In addition, the connectingblock 92 is lowered together with theend block 60, whereby thecam plate 108 connected by the connectingbolt 106 is lowered in theaccommodation chamber 26 under a guiding action of the wear rings 112. - As shown in
FIGS. 11 and 12 , accompanying lowering of thecam plate 108, the respective finger pins 110 which are inserted into the guide holes 44 move respectively toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2), and separate away from each other in the longitudinal direction by way of the first tofourth cam grooves - In greater detail, with respect to the finger pins 110, by the first to
fourth cam grooves second cam grooves guide hole 44 to one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A1) with respect to the fixedfinger 32. At this time, thefinger pin 110 inserted through thefirst cam groove 122 further moves to one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A1) with respect to thefinger pin 110 that is inserted through thesecond cam groove 124. - On the other hand, the respective finger pins 110 that are inserted through the third and
fourth cam grooves guide hole 44 to the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A2) with respect to the fixedfinger 32. Thefinger pin 110 inserted through thethird cam groove 126 further moves to the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A2) with respect to thefinger pin 110 that is inserted through thefourth cam groove 128. - At this time, since the first and
second cam grooves fourth cam grooves - In addition, accompanying movement of the finger pins 110, in a similar manner, the
movable fingers 16 a to 16 d connected to the finger pins 110 move toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction so as to separate away from the fixedfinger 32, while maintaining a state of being evenly spaced from each other in thefinger accommodating section 24. - Finally, as shown in
FIGS. 11, 12, and 14 , thecam plate 108 moves to the lower end in theaccommodation chamber 26 under the driving action of thedrive unit 14, and the notchedportions 120 thereof are placed in positions facing toward therespective corner portions 40. Consequently, as shown inFIGS. 10, 12, and 13 , in the longitudinal direction of thebody 12, themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d and the fixedfinger 32 are arranged at an equal interval separation D2 in the open state. - On the other hand, in the case that the aforementioned
movable fingers 16 a to 16 d shown inFIG. 10 are restored from the open state to the closed state, themotor 52 of thedrive unit 14 is rotated in an opposite direction by a control signal from the non-illustrated controller, whereby thefeed screw 54 is rotated in the opposite direction via thedrive pulley 70 and the drivenpulley 72, and therod 58 is moved so as to be drawn into thesecond bore portion 64. Consequently, theend block 60 and the connectingblock 92 move upward (in the direction of the arrow C1) along thehousing 50, and along with such movement, thecam plate 108 moves upward inside theaccommodation chamber 26. - In addition, accompanying rising of the
cam plate 108, the respective finger pins 110 inserted into the guide holes 44 move respectively toward the side of the fixedfinger 32 by way of the first tofourth cam grooves FIG. 5 , themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d which are connected to the finger pins 110 approach one another, and are placed in the closed state with the interval separation D1 therebetween. More specifically, in the above-describedvariable pitch device 10, the direction of movement of therod 58 in the drive unit 14 (the output direction, the direction of arrows C1 and C2) and the direction of movement of themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) are perpendicular to each other. - Next, a description will be given concerning a case in which the above-described
variable pitch device 10 is attached to the distal end of an arm in a non-illustrated transport device, and a plurality of workpieces are transported by respective suction units P that are attached to the fixedfinger 32 and themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d. - At first, in the closed state, which is the initial state of the
variable pitch device 10 shown inFIGS. 1 and 7 , five workpieces that are placed on the supply source are attracted and gripped by the suction units P which are provided on the fixedfinger 32 and themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d. At this time, the interval separation between the respective workpieces corresponds to the interval separation D1 of the fixedfinger 32 and themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d in the closed state. - Next, during transport of the workpieces from the supply source to the supply destination for the workpieces, under the driving action of the
drive unit 14, the fourmovable fingers 16 a to 16 d are moved toward both ends of thebody 12 in the longitudinal direction with respect to the fixedfinger 32, whereby the interval separation is increased in a manner so that the five workpieces which are gripped by the suction units P are separated from each other. In addition, by movement of thecam plate 108 of thevariable pitch device 10 to the lower end, as shown inFIGS. 10, 12, and 13 , the fixedfinger 32 and the fourmovable fingers 16 a to 16 d are placed in the open state of being separated at the maximum interval separation D2, and the five workpieces are also placed in a state of being separated at the interval separation D2. - After the five workpieces, which are separated from each other at the maximum interval separation by operation of the
variable pitch device 10, have been transported to the supply destination by the transport device, the state of being attracted by the suction units P is released, whereby the five workpieces are supplied to the supply destination at an interval separation that differs from that at the supply source. - As described above, in the first embodiment, the
cam plate 108 which is capable of moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C1 and C2) under the driving action of thedrive unit 14 is provided in the interior of theaccommodation chamber 26 in thebody 12, and the first tofourth cam grooves cam plate 108. Further, the fourfinger pins 110, which are inserted through the guide holes 44 that extend in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 12, are inserted respectively through the first tofourth cam grooves movable fingers 16 a to 16 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving in the longitudinal direction along thefinger accommodating section 24 of thebody 12. - As a result, in the
variable pitch device 10, with a simple configuration in which thecam plate 108 and the finger pins 110 that transmit the driving force from thedrive unit 14 to the plurality ofmovable fingers 16 a to 16 d are provided between themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d and thedrive unit 14, it becomes possible to make the size of the device smaller in the thickness direction (the direction of arrows B1 and B2), and to reduce manufacturing costs, in comparison with a conventional variable pitch device in which the driving force of the motor is transmitted to slide blocks via a plate cam and two levers. - Further, between each two of the
movable fingers 16 a to 16 d that are adjacent to each other, thesprings 102, which bias the adjacentmovable fingers 16 a to 16 d in directions away from each other (in the directions of arrows A1 and A2), are provided. Therefore, rattling is prevented from occurring between each two of themovable fingers 16 a to 16 d that are adjacent to each other, and the adjacentmovable fingers - Furthermore, since the wear rings 112, which can slidably contact the inner walls of the
accommodation chamber 26, are provided on the side portions of thecam plate 108, thecam plate 108 is prevented from coming into direct contact with thebody 12, and in addition, thecam plate 108 is suitably guided when moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C1 and C2) inside theaccommodation chamber 26. - Next, a
variable pitch device 150 according to a second embodiment is shown inFIGS. 15 to 21 . The same reference numerals are used to indicate the same constituent elements as those of the above-describedvariable pitch device 10 according to the first embodiment, and detailed description of such features is omitted. - The
variable pitch device 150 according to the second embodiment differs from thevariable pitch device 10 according to the first embodiment, in that it comprises a pair of guide rods (guide members) 156 a and 156 b for guiding a plurality ofmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of abody 154, and a pair ofspring rods - As shown in
FIGS. 15 to 17 , thevariable pitch device 150 is equipped withend walls main body portion 162 constituting thebody 154, and the pair ofguide rods spring rods finger accommodating section 24. - The
guide rods finger accommodating section 24, and are disposed along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 154, one end thereof being retained by theend wall 164 a, and the other end thereof being retained by theend wall 164 b. - Further, the
guide rods first rod grooves 168, which are recessed with respect to the first mountingsurface 34 of a fixedfinger 166, and are inserted through first rod holes 170, which are formed in the plurality ofmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d. The first rod holes 170 are formed to penetrate along the direction of movement of themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d, and more specifically, along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 154, and in the vicinity of the upper ends and the lower ends, respectively, of themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d. - In addition, when the plurality of
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d move in thefinger accommodating section 24 of thebody 154, they are guided highly accurately in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) along the pair ofguide rods - The
spring rods finger accommodating section 24 closer to a central side in the height direction than theguide rods body 154, one end thereof being retained by theend wall 164 a, and the other end thereof being retained by theend wall 164 b. - Further, the
spring rods second rod grooves 172 of the fixedfinger 166, which are recessed with respect to the first mountingsurface 34, and are inserted through second rod holes 174, which are formed in the plurality ofmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d. - The second rod holes 174 are formed to penetrate along the direction of movement of the
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d, and more specifically, along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 154, at positions closer to the side of the pin holes 100 than the first rod holes 170, and at symmetrical positions with respect to the heightwise center of themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d having the pin holes 100. Further, the second rod holes 174 are formed coaxially with the spring holes 104 into which thesprings 158 are inserted. - In addition, between the two adjacent
movable fingers springs 158 are inserted onto outer circumferential sides of thespring rods springs 158 are inserted respectively into the spring holes 104 (seeFIG. 16 ). More specifically, thespring rods body 154, thesprings 158 interposed between themovable fingers - The
variable pitch device 150 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is constructed basically as described above. Next, operations and advantages thereof will be described. Moreover, concerning operations that are the same as those of thevariable pitch device 10 according to the first embodiment, detailed description of such features will be omitted. - First, in the closed state shown in
FIGS. 20 and 21 , thecam plate 108 is positioned upwardly (in the direction of the arrow C1) inside thebody 154, and against the elastic force of thesprings 158 provided between themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d, the fourmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d are in a state of being moved and placed in close proximity to the side of the fixedfinger 166, which is located in the center in the longitudinal direction of thebody 154. Moreover, theaforementioned springs 158 are accommodated respectively inside the spring holes 104 in themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d. - Next, the
cam plate 108 is lowered inside thebody 154 under a driving action of thedrive unit 14, whereby the finger pins 110 start to move toward both end sides (in the directions of arrows A1 and A2) in the longitudinal direction of thebody 154 by way of the first tofourth cam grooves FIGS. 15 and 17 , the respectivemovable fingers 152 a to 152 d move toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction so as to be separated from the fixedfinger 166. - At this time, the
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are guided smoothly and with high accuracy along the longitudinal direction of thebody 154 by the pair ofguide rods springs 158 provided between the adjacentmovable fingers movable fingers springs 158 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the heightwise center of themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d, the adjacentmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d are maintained in a substantially parallel state at all times. - In addition, as shown in
FIG. 17 , thecam plate 108 moves to the lower end inside theaccommodation chamber 26 under the driving action of thedrive unit 14, whereby in the longitudinal direction of thebody 154, the respectivemovable fingers 152 a to 152 d and the fixedfinger 166 are arranged respectively at an equal interval separation D2 in the open state. - As described above, in the second embodiment, the
cam plate 108 which is capable of moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C1 and C2) under the driving action of thedrive unit 14 is provided in the interior of thebody 154, and the first tofourth cam grooves cam plate 108. Further, the fourfinger pins 110, which are inserted through the guide holes 44 that extend in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 154, are inserted respectively through the first tofourth cam grooves movable fingers 152 a to 152 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving in the longitudinal direction along thefinger accommodating section 24 of thebody 154. - As a result, in the
variable pitch device 150, with a simple configuration in which thecam plate 108 and the finger pins 110 that transmit the driving force from thedrive unit 14 to themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d are provided between the plurality ofmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d and thedrive unit 14, it becomes possible to make the size of the device smaller in the thickness direction (the direction of arrows B1 and B2), and to reduce manufacturing costs, in comparison with a conventional variable pitch device in which the driving force of the motor is transmitted to slide blocks via a plate cam and two levers. - Further, in the
finger accommodating section 24 of thebody 154, the pair ofguide rods guide rods movable fingers 152 a to 152 d. Consequently, when themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d move along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 154 under the driving action of thedrive unit 14, they can be guided in the longitudinal direction by theguide rods movable fingers 152 a to 152 d to be operated smoothly and with high accuracy. - Furthermore, in the
finger accommodating section 24 of thebody 154, by providing thespring rods springs 158 along the longitudinal direction, the elastic force of thesprings 158 can be applied in the longitudinal direction with respect to themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d. Therefore, the adjacentmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d can be maintained in parallel at all times, and the distance between themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d can be managed in a highly accurate manner. - Next, a
variable pitch device 200 according to a third embodiment is shown inFIGS. 22 to 31 . The same reference numerals are used to indicate the same constituent elements as those of the above-describedvariable pitch device 150 according to the second embodiment, and detailed description of such features is omitted. - The
variable pitch device 200 according to the third embodiment differs from thevariable pitch device 150 according to the second embodiment, in that adrive unit 202 is arranged substantially in parallel along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of abody 204, and a sub-cam plate (conversion member) 208 connected to thedrive unit 202 and constituting a drivingforce transmission mechanism 206 is provided. - As shown in
FIGS. 22 to 27 , thevariable pitch device 200 includes thebody 204, thedrive unit 202 mounted on a rear surface of thebody 204, a plurality ofmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 204, and the drivingforce transmission mechanism 206 that transmits the driving force of thedrive unit 202 to themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d. - The
body 204 is formed in an elongate shape along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2), and is equipped with themain body portion 162 that retains themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d in a movable manner, thecover member 22 that is mounted on a rear side (in the direction of the arrow B1) of themain body portion 162, and a box-shapedcasing 210 that covers the rear side of themain body portion 162 together with thecover member 22. - As shown in
FIGS. 23, 24, 26, and 27 , thedrive unit 202 is made up from an electric actuator that can be driven under an energizing action, and thehousing 50 is connected to the rear surface of thecover member 22 so as to extend along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 204. In addition, in thedrive unit 202, therod 58 moves forward and rearward along the longitudinal direction of thebody 204 under the energizing action. - Moreover, the main structure of the
drive unit 202 is substantially the same as that of thedrive unit 14 used in thevariable pitch devices pulley cover 66 is provided is fixed so as to be on one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A1) of thebody 204. - Further, as shown in
FIGS. 23 and 26 , thesub-cam plate 208 that constitutes the drivingforce transmission mechanism 206 is movably provided on the rear side of thecover member 22. Thesub-cam plate 208 includes abase portion 212 formed in a rectangular plate-like shape, and a connectingpiece 214 that is erected from thebase portion 212. In addition, thesub-cam plate 208 is disposed in a manner so that thebase portion 212 is in contact with the rear surface of thecover member 22, and the upper end and the lower end thereof are retained movably in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) by a pair ofguide pieces cover member 22. - A sub-cam groove (second cam groove) 218 is formed in the
base portion 212 between the upper end and the lower end which are retained by the pair ofguide pieces sub-cam groove 218 is formed in an inclined manner at a predetermined angle with respect to the direction of movement (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thesub-cam plate 208 such that, with respect to the central lower end on which the connectingpiece 214 is provided, the upper end thereof is formed on the side of the drive unit 202 (in the direction of the arrow A1), and the lower end thereof is formed on the opposite side (in the direction of the arrow A2) from thedrive unit 202. In addition, the connectingbolt 106 which is connected to thecam plate 108 is movably inserted through thesub-cam groove 218. - The connecting
piece 214 protrudes in a direction away from the cover member 22 (in the direction of the arrow B1 inFIGS. 23 and 28 ) substantially perpendicular to thebase portion 212, and the other end of therod 58 in thedrive unit 202 is connected thereto via thesocket 78 and the fixing bolt 82 (seeFIG. 27 ). - In addition, by the
rod 58 moving forward and rearward in the axial direction under a driving action of thedrive unit 202, thesub-cam plate 208 moves along the longitudinal direction (in the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 204 in a state of being retained by the pair ofguide pieces - Further, the
drive unit 202 and thesub-cam plate 208 described above are covered by thecasing 210 which is mounted on the rear side of the main body portion 162 (seeFIG. 23 ). - The
variable pitch device 200 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is constructed basically as described above. Next, operations and advantages thereof will be described. - First, in the closed state shown in
FIGS. 22 and 25 , in thedrive unit 202, the other end of therod 58 is pushed out to the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A2), and along therewith, thesub-cam plate 208 is moved to the other side in the longitudinal direction as shown inFIGS. 23 and 26 , and the connectingbolt 106 is positioned at the upper end in the sub-cam groove 218 (seeFIG. 28 ). Therefore, thecam plate 108 connected to the connectingbolt 106 is positioned upwardly (in the direction of the arrow C1) inside thebody 204, and against the elastic force of thesprings 158, the fourmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d are in a state of being moved and placed in close proximity to the side of the fixedfinger 166, which is located in the center in the longitudinal direction of thebody 204. - In the aforementioned initial state, by inputting a control signal from a non-illustrated controller to the
drive unit 202, therod 58 moves in the axial direction (in the direction of the arrow A1) and is drawn into thehousing 50 under a rotating action of themotor 52. In addition, accompanying movement of therod 58, thesub-cam plate 208 moves to one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A1) of thebody 204 under a guiding action of theguide pieces - By movement of the
sub-cam plate 208, the connectingbolt 106, which is inserted through thesub-cam groove 218, is lowered, and thecam plate 108 connected thereto is lowered inside theaccommodation chamber 26. In addition, as shown inFIGS. 29 and 30 , accompanying lowering of thecam plate 108, the respective finger pins 110 which are inserted into the guide holes 44 move respectively toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2), and separate away from each other in the longitudinal direction by way of the first tofourth cam grooves - Accompanying movement of the finger pins 110, in a similar manner, the
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d connected to the finger pins 110 move toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction so as to separate away from the fixedfinger 166 in thefinger accommodating section 24 of thebody 204. - Finally, as shown in
FIGS. 29 to 31 , thecam plate 108 moves to the lower end inside theaccommodation chamber 26 under the driving action of thedrive unit 202, whereby in the longitudinal direction of thebody 204, the respectivemovable fingers 152 a to 152 d and the fixedfinger 166 are arranged at an equal interval separation D2 (seeFIG. 39 ) in the open state. Moreover, the above-describedvariable pitch device 200 is configured in a manner so that the direction of movement of therod 58 in the drive unit 202 (the output direction, the direction of arrows A1 and A2) and the direction of movement of themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) are in parallel with each other. - More specifically, the aforementioned
sub-cam plate 208 functions as an output conversion unit for converting the output along the longitudinal direction from therod 58 of thedrive unit 202 into the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2), and transmitting the converted output to thecam plate 108. - As described above, in the third embodiment, the
cam plate 108 which is capable of moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C1 and C2) via thesub-cam plate 208 under the driving action of thedrive unit 202 is provided, and the first tofourth cam grooves cam plate 108. Further, the fourfinger pins 110, which are inserted through the guide holes 44 that extend in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 204, are inserted respectively through the first tofourth cam grooves movable fingers 152 a to 152 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving in the longitudinal direction along thefinger accommodating section 24 of thebody 204. - As a result, in the
variable pitch device 200, with a simple configuration in which thecam plate 108, thesub-cam plate 208, and the finger pins 110 that transmit the driving force from thedrive unit 202 to themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d are provided between the plurality ofmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d and thedrive unit 202, it becomes possible to make the device smaller in size and to reduce manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for a swinging member, in comparison with a conventional variable pitch device provided with two levers that swing with respect to a base plate. - Further, by arranging the
drive unit 202, which is made up from an electric actuator, along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 204, thedrive unit 202 does not protrude in the height direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2) from thebody 204. Thus, it becomes possible to reduce the height of thevariable pitch device 200. Therefore, thevariable pitch device 200 is suitable for a case in which there is a restriction in the height direction, for example, when thevariable pitch device 200 is attached to a non-illustrated transport device. - Next, a
variable pitch device 250 according to a fourth embodiment is shown inFIGS. 32 to 41 . The same reference numerals are used to indicate the same constituent elements as those of the above-describedvariable pitch device 200 according to the third embodiment, and detailed description of such features is omitted. - The
variable pitch device 250 according to the fourth embodiment differs from thevariable pitch device 200 according to the third embodiment, in that a fluid pressure cylinder is used as adrive unit 254 instead of an electric actuator. - As shown in
FIGS. 32 to 41 , in thevariable pitch device 250, thedrive unit 254 is mounted on the rear surface of thecover member 22 that constitutes abody 252, along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 252, and thedrive unit 254 is made up, for example, from a fluid pressure cylinder in which apiston 256 and a piston rod (output shaft) 258 move forward and rearward in the axial direction under a fluid supplying action. - As shown in
FIGS. 36 and 38 , thedrive unit 254 comprises acylindrical cylinder tube 260 fixed to thecover member 22, thepiston 256 displaceably provided along acylinder chamber 262 of thecylinder tube 260, and apiston rod 258 extending in the axial direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) from the center of one end of thepiston 256, and a pair ofports cylinder tube 260 communicate with thecylinder chamber 262 which is divided by thepiston 256. In addition, thedrive unit 254 is fixed in a manner so that the axial direction of thepiston 256 and thepiston rod 258 lie along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 252. - Further, a
rod cover 266 is attached to an open end of thecylinder tube 260 and closes thecylinder tube 260, and a distal end of thepiston rod 258 which is inserted through the center of therod cover 266 is exposed to the exterior, and connected to a connectingpiece 270 of a sub-cam plate (conversion member) 268 via abolt 272. The connectingpiece 270 is disposed in the vicinity of an end portion of thesub-cam plate 268 on the side of the drive unit 254 (in the direction of the arrow A2) (seeFIG. 36 ). - In addition, by the fluid being supplied to the
cylinder chamber 262 of thecylinder tube 260 through either one of theports piston 256 and thepiston rod 258 move in the axial direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2), and thesub-cam plate 268 moves integrally along the longitudinal direction of thebody 252. - The
variable pitch device 250 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is constructed basically as described above. Next, operations and advantages thereof will be described. - First, in the closed state shown in
FIGS. 32 and 35 to 37 , in thedrive unit 254, thepiston rod 258 is drawn into the interior of thecylinder tube 260, and along therewith, thesub-cam plate 268 is moved to the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A2), and the connectingbolt 106 is positioned at the upper end in the sub-cam groove 218 (seeFIG. 36 ). - Therefore, the
cam plate 108 connected to the connectingbolt 106 is positioned upwardly (in the direction of the arrow C1) inside thebody 252, and as shown inFIG. 35 , against the elastic force of thesprings 158, the fourmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d are in a state of being moved and placed in close proximity to the side of the fixedfinger 166, which is located in the center in the longitudinal direction of thebody 252. - In the above-described initial state, by supplying a fluid from the non-illustrated fluid source to the
cylinder chamber 262 through theport 264 a, thepiston 256 is biased toward the side of the rod cover 266 (to one side in the longitudinal direction), and by thepiston rod 258 moving integrally therewith, thesub-cam plate 268 moves to the one side in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow A1) of thebody 252 under a guiding action of theguide pieces - By movement of the
sub-cam plate 268, the connectingbolt 106, which is inserted through thesub-cam groove 218, is lowered along thehole 46, and thecam plate 108 connected thereto is lowered inside theaccommodation chamber 26. In addition, accompanying lowering of thecam plate 108, the respective finger pins 110 which are inserted into the guide holes 44 move respectively toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2), and separate away from each other in the longitudinal direction by way of the first tofourth cam grooves - In addition, accompanying movement of the finger pins 110, in a similar manner, the
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d connected to the finger pins 110 move toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) so as to separate away from the fixedfinger 166 in thefinger accommodating section 24 of thebody 252, as shown inFIGS. 39 and 40 . - Finally, as shown in
FIGS. 39 and 41 , thecam plate 108 moves to the lower end inside theaccommodation chamber 26 under the driving action of thedrive unit 254, whereby in the longitudinal direction of thebody 252, the respectivemovable fingers 152 a to 152 d and the fixedfinger 166 are arranged at an equal interval separation D2 (seeFIG. 29 ) in the open state. - On the other hand, in the case that the
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d are restored from the aforementioned open state to the closed state, the fluid is supplied to theport 264 b, which is opposite to theport 264 a, with respect to thedrive unit 254. Consequently, thepiston 256 and thepiston rod 258 move toward the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A2) of thebody 252, and are drawn into the interior of thecylinder tube 260, and along therewith, thesub-cam plate 268 is moved to the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A2) along thebody 252. Along therewith, the connectingbolt 106 that is inserted through thesub-cam groove 218 rises, and thecam plate 108 moves upward (in the direction of the arrow C1) inside theaccommodation chamber 26. - In addition, accompanying rising of the
cam plate 108, the respective finger pins 110 inserted into the guide holes 44 move respectively toward the side of the fixedfinger 166 by way of the first tofourth cam grooves FIG. 35 , they approach one another and are placed in the closed state with the interval separation D1 therebetween. More specifically, the above-describedvariable pitch device 250 is configured in a manner so that the direction of movement of thepiston rod 258 in the drive unit 254 (the output direction, the direction of arrows A1 and A2) and the direction of movement of themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) are in parallel with each other. - Moreover, the aforementioned
sub-cam plate 268 functions as an output conversion unit for converting the output along the longitudinal direction from thepiston rod 258 of thedrive unit 254 into the vertical direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2), and transmitting the converted output to thecam plate 108. - As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the
cam plate 108 which is capable of moving in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrows C1 and C2) via thesub-cam plate 268 under the driving action of thedrive unit 254 is provided, and the first tofourth cam grooves cam plate 108. Further, the fourfinger pins 110, which are inserted through the guide holes 44 that extend in the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 252, are inserted respectively through the first tofourth cam grooves movable fingers 152 a to 152 d which are disposed so as to be capable of moving in the longitudinal direction along thefinger accommodating section 24 of thebody 252. - As a result, in the
variable pitch device 250, with a simple configuration in which thecam plate 108, thesub-cam plate 268, and the finger pins 110 that transmit the driving force from thedrive unit 254 to themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d are provided between the plurality ofmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d and thedrive unit 254, it becomes possible to make the device smaller in size and to reduce manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for a swinging member, in comparison with a conventional variable pitch device provided with two levers that swing with respect to a base plate. - Further, by arranging the
drive unit 254, which is made up from a fluid pressure cylinder, along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 252, since thedrive unit 254 does not protrude in the height direction (the direction of arrows C1 and C2) from thebody 252. Thus, it becomes possible to reduce the height of thevariable pitch device 250. Therefore, thevariable pitch device 250 is suitable for a case in which there is a restriction in the height direction, for example, when thevariable pitch device 250 is attached to a non-illustrated transport device. - Furthermore, by using the fluid pressure cylinder as the
drive unit 254, in comparison with thevariable pitch device 200 according to the third embodiment in which an electric actuator is used as thedrive unit 202, it is possible to make the size of the device smaller in the thickness direction (the direction of arrows B1 and B2). - Next, a description will be given concerning
variable pitch devices movable fingers 152 a to 152 d in the open state. The same reference numerals are used to indicate the same constituent elements as those of the above-describedvariable pitch device 250 according to the fourth embodiment, and detailed description of such features is omitted. - First, as shown in
FIGS. 42 and 43 , thevariable pitch device 280 according to a first modification includes afirst stopper mechanism 282 that faces toward the direction of movement (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thesub-cam plate 268 on the rear surface of thecover member 22. Thefirst stopper mechanism 282 is provided, for example, on one side in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow A1) of thebody 252, and includes aholder 284 fixed to the rear surface of thecover member 22, a stopper pin (stopper member) 286 screw-engaged with theholder 284, and alock nut 288 that regulates forward and rearward movement of thestopper pin 286. - The
holder 284 is disposed substantially at a right angle with respect to the rear surface of thecover member 22, and additionally, is disposed at a position on the axis of thepiston rod 258 in thedrive unit 254. In addition, ascrew hole 290, which penetrates along the longitudinal direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) of thebody 252, is formed at the center of theholder 284, and thestopper pin 286 is screw-engaged therein. - The
stopper pin 286 is made up from a shaft body having a screw thread formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof, is screw-engaged into thescrew hole 290 of theholder 284, is provided so as to be movable forward and rearward in the axial direction (the direction of arrows A1 and A2) by being screw-rotated with respect to theholder 284, and is formed coaxially with thepiston rod 258 that constitutes thedrive unit 254. Stated otherwise, thestopper pin 286 is provided so as to be capable of approaching toward and separating away from thesub-cam plate 268. - The
lock nut 288 is screw-engaged with thestopper pin 286, and is provided so as to be on one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A1) of thebody 252 with respect to theholder 284. Further, when thelock nut 288 comes into contact with the side surface of theholder 284, screw-rotation of thestopper pin 286 with respect to theholder 284 is restricted. - On the other hand, a
stopper block 292 substantially in parallel with the connectingpiece 270 is formed on thesub-cam plate 268. Thestopper block 292 is substantially perpendicular to thebase portion 212, protrudes in the same direction as the connectingpiece 270, and is disposed on one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A1) of thebase portion 212. Further, thestopper block 292 is formed at a position forming a straight line with the connectingpiece 270 in the direction of movement of thesub-cam plate 268, and is arranged so as to face toward the distal end of thestopper pin 286 of thefirst stopper mechanism 282. - Next, a description will be given concerning a case in which the interval separation between the plurality of
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d in the open state is adjusted. First, in the closed state (the initial state) shown inFIG. 42 , thestopper pin 286 of thefirst stopper mechanism 282 is screw-rotated, and the distal end of thestopper pin 286 is moved so as to be placed on the side of the drive unit 254 (in the direction of the arrow A2) beyond the position of thesub-cam plate 268 in the open state of themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d. In addition, in order to prevent further rotation of thestopper pin 286, thelock nut 288 is screw-rotated and placed in contact with theholder 284. - In a state in which the
stopper pin 286 is positioned and fixed in the axial direction as described above, thesub-cam plate 268 moves toward the side of the first stopper mechanism 282 (in the direction of the arrow A1) under the driving action of thedrive unit 254, whereby further movement thereof is restricted by thestopper block 292 coming into contact with the distal end of thestopper pin 286. More specifically, thesub-cam plate 268 is stopped at a position that is nearer to the front side (in the direction of the arrow A2) by a predetermined distance than the movement position E (seeFIG. 43 ) at the maximum interval separation in which themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d are fully opened. - Therefore, as shown in
FIG. 43 , movement of thesub-cam plate 268 to one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A1) is restricted, whereby the lowering operation of thecam plate 108 is stopped midway during movement thereof, and the finger pins 110 are also placed in a state of being stopped between the upper end and the lower end of the first tofourth cam grooves cam plate 108. - As a result, the plurality of
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d do not open from the closed state to the fully open state at the maximum interval separation D2, but are placed in the open state at an equal interval separation D3 which is smaller than the interval separation D2 (D3<D2). - In the foregoing manner, the
stopper pin 286 of thefirst stopper mechanism 282 is moved forward and rearward in the axial direction, and the movement distance (movement position) when thesub-cam plate 268 is moved is capable of being adjusted, whereby it is possible to freely adjust the interval separation between themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d in the open state. - Further, the present invention is not limited to a case, as in the above-described
first stopper mechanism 282, in which the stopper mechanism is provided on the rear side of thebody 252 and regulates the amount of movement of thesub-cam plate 268. For example, as in thevariable pitch device 300 according to a second modification shown inFIGS. 44 and 45 , asecond stopper mechanism 302 may be provided which is capable of directly regulating the movement of themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d along the longitudinal direction. - In this
variable pitch device 300, for example, ascrew hole 304 that penetrates in the longitudinal direction is formed in theend wall 164 b on the other side in the longitudinal direction of themain body portion 162 that constitutes thebody 252, a stopper pin (stopper member) 306 is screw-engaged in thescrew hole 304 while being capable of moving forward and rearward, and alock nut 308, which is screw-engaged with thestopper pin 306, is disposed so as to be on the outer side (in the direction of the arrow A2) of theend wall 164 b. - The
stopper pin 306 is disposed in a manner so as to protrude from theend wall 164 b toward the side of the finger accommodating section 24 (in the direction of the arrow A1) in which themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d are accommodated, and is provided movably along the longitudinal direction of thebody 252 under a screw-rotating action thereof. - In accordance with such a configuration, when the plurality of
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d, which are in the closed state shown inFIG. 44 , move toward both end sides in the longitudinal direction under the driving action of thedrive unit 254, then as shown inFIG. 45 , further movement thereof is restricted due to themovable finger 152 c, which faces toward thestopper pin 306 of thesecond stopper mechanism 302, coming into contact with the distal end of thestopper pin 306. In addition, by themovable finger 152 c coming into contact with thestopper pin 306, downward movement of thecam plate 108 through which themovable finger 152 c is inserted is also restricted, whereby movement of the threemovable fingers movable finger 152 c is also regulated and stopped at the same time. - As a result, the plurality of
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d do not open from the closed state to the fully open state at the maximum interval separation D2, but are placed in the open state while being separated from each other by an interval separation D4 which is smaller than the interval separation D2 (D4<D2). - In the foregoing manner, by moving the
stopper pin 306 of thesecond stopper mechanism 302 forward and rearward in the axial direction, and bringing themovable finger 152 c into contact with thestopper pin 306, the movement distance (movement position) when themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d are moved is capable of being adjusted, whereby it is possible to freely adjust the interval separation between themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d in the open state. - Further, a
variable pitch device 310 according to a third modification shown inFIGS. 46 to 48 includes athird stopper mechanism 312 that faces toward the direction of movement (the direction of the arrow A1) of thesub-cam plate 268 on the rear surface of thecover member 22, and thethird stopper mechanism 312 is constituted from acylinder device 314 that is driven under a fluid supplying action. Moreover, since thecylinder device 314 that constitutes thethird stopper mechanism 312 has the same configuration as that of thedrive unit 254 according to the fourth embodiment, detailed description of this feature will be omitted. - The
cylinder device 314 constituting thethird stopper mechanism 312 faces toward thestopper block 292 of thesub-cam plate 268, and a piston rod (stopper member) 316 thereof is disposed coaxially with thepiston rod 258 that constitutes thedrive unit 254. - Further, in the drawn-in position in which the
piston rod 316 shown inFIG. 46 has been moved to the one side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A1) of thebody 252, thecylinder device 314 is arranged so that the distal end of thepiston rod 316 does not come into contact with thesub-cam plate 268, whereas in the pushed-out position in which thepiston rod 316 shown inFIG. 48 has been moved to the other side in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of the arrow A2), thecylinder device 314 is arranged so that the distal end of thepiston rod 316 is capable of contacting thesub-cam plate 268. - In addition, in the case that the distance between the plurality of
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d in the open state is to be adjusted, the fluid is supplied to aport 318 a in thecylinder device 314 in the closed state (initial state) shown inFIG. 46 , whereby thepiston rod 316 is moved to the pushed-out position of being pushed out toward the side of the sub-cam plate 268 (in the direction of the arrow A2) (seeFIG. 48 ). - Consequently, as shown in
FIG. 47 , when thesub-cam plate 268 is moved to the side of the cylinder device 314 (in the direction of the arrow A1) under the driving action of thedrive unit 254, further movement of thesub-cam plate 268 is restricted by the distal end of thepiston rod 316 coming into contact therewith. As a result, lowering of thecam plate 108 is stopped midway during movement thereof, and the finger pins 110 are also placed in a state of being stopped between the upper end and the lower end of the first tofourth cam grooves cam plate 108. As a result, the plurality ofmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d do not open from the closed state to the fully open state at the maximum interval separation D2, but are placed in the open state while being separated from each other by an interval separation D5 which is smaller than the interval separation D2 (D5<D2). - Further, as shown in
FIG. 48 , by placing thecylinder device 314 in the drawn-in position under the action of supplying the fluid to aport 318 b, thesub-cam plate 268 does not contact with the distal end of thepiston rod 316 when moving to the side of thecylinder device 314. Therefore, thesub-cam plate 268 moves to a desired position along thebody 252, and along therewith, thecam plate 108 is moved to the lower end of theaccommodation chamber 26, whereby the plurality ofmovable fingers 152 a to 152 d can be placed in the fully open state of being opened at the maximum interval separation D2. - In the foregoing manner, in the
variable pitch device 310 equipped with thethird stopper mechanism 312, it is possible to displace thepiston rod 316 under the action of supplying the fluid to thecylinder device 314, and to freely switch between the pushed-out position (regulated state) in which movement of thesub-cam plate 268 in the longitudinal direction can be regulated, and the drawn-in position (unregulated state) in which movement of thesub-cam plate 268 is not hindered. - As a result, by the supply of the fluid, the
movable fingers 152 a to 152 d can be switched by thethird stopper mechanism 312 between an open state in which thecam plate 108 is moved to the lower end and themovable fingers 152 a to 152 d are fully opened, and an intermediate open state between the closed state and the open state in which thecam plate 108 is stopped at an intermediate location. Consequently, when a plurality of workpieces are transported using thevariable pitch device 310, the workpieces can be supplied to a supply destination at two different intervals D2 and D5. - The variable pitch device according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various configurations could be adopted therein without deviating from the essence and gist of the present invention.
Claims (13)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
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JP2019229621A JP7341390B2 (en) | 2019-12-19 | 2019-12-19 | pitch variable device |
JP2019-229621 | 2019-12-19 |
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US20210190183A1 true US20210190183A1 (en) | 2021-06-24 |
US11780685B2 US11780685B2 (en) | 2023-10-10 |
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US17/125,170 Active US11780685B2 (en) | 2019-12-19 | 2020-12-17 | Variable pitch device |
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US (1) | US11780685B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP3838814A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP7341390B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR102454409B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN113003174B (en) |
TW (1) | TWI782369B (en) |
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CN114477052A (en) * | 2022-02-14 | 2022-05-13 | 沈阳安捷佰瑞实验设备有限公司 | Variable-pitch liquid separating device |
WO2023038378A1 (en) * | 2021-09-13 | 2023-03-16 | 삼성전자 주식회사 | Gripper device for electronic device |
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2019
- 2019-12-19 JP JP2019229621A patent/JP7341390B2/en active Active
-
2020
- 2020-12-17 EP EP20214933.2A patent/EP3838814A1/en active Pending
- 2020-12-17 US US17/125,170 patent/US11780685B2/en active Active
- 2020-12-17 TW TW109144745A patent/TWI782369B/en active
- 2020-12-18 KR KR1020200178464A patent/KR102454409B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2020-12-18 CN CN202011509440.1A patent/CN113003174B/en active Active
Cited By (2)
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WO2023038378A1 (en) * | 2021-09-13 | 2023-03-16 | 삼성전자 주식회사 | Gripper device for electronic device |
CN114477052A (en) * | 2022-02-14 | 2022-05-13 | 沈阳安捷佰瑞实验设备有限公司 | Variable-pitch liquid separating device |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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US11780685B2 (en) | 2023-10-10 |
KR102454409B1 (en) | 2022-10-14 |
TWI782369B (en) | 2022-11-01 |
JP7341390B2 (en) | 2023-09-11 |
TW202133985A (en) | 2021-09-16 |
EP3838814A1 (en) | 2021-06-23 |
CN113003174B (en) | 2023-06-20 |
JP2021098232A (en) | 2021-07-01 |
KR20210079226A (en) | 2021-06-29 |
CN113003174A (en) | 2021-06-22 |
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